Kitten Therapy - the cutest way to destress
by WhiteRaven1989
Summary: After scoring the highest points in a stress level test at school Marinette and Adrien have to take 'recreational hours' in order to prevent being akumatized. It seems like a long awaited break for them, until Ayla hacks into CCTV and discovers …? Post reveal. Mostly fluff. Slight AlyaxNino
1. Chapter 1

**Kitten therapy – the cutest way to destress**

 _After scoring the highest points in a stress level test at school Marinette and Adrien have to take 'recreational hours' in order to prevent being akumatized. It seems like a long awaited break for them, until Ayla hacks into CCTV and discovers …? Post reveal. Mostly fluff. Slight AlyaxNino_

 **1.**

Nervously Adrien knocked his pen on the desk. _Tap, tap._ He couldn't stop worrying about this damn test. _Tap, tap._ Why had he agreed to take it in the first place? Ah, yes, school decided that every student had to undergo with it … Adrien almost crashed his pen, leaving a small dent in the wood. Nino sent him a puzzled look but then concentrated on his convertible tablet in front of him.  
Hiding the strength that he had built up as Chat was getting more difficult. Adrien needed every ounce of power to protect his lady, at the same time he couldn't explain how he gained so many muscles as a non-stop-dieting-model. Sighing heavily he borrowed a pen from his best friend and pushed those unsettling thoughts away.  
The survey, he remembered and tried to focus on the almost never ending row of questions. He would love to cast a glance over his shoulder where his princess sat but didn't dare to. Lately their teachers punished any rule violation as if rebellious students could attract akumas or even something worse. Adrien wouldn't get his princess into trouble because he was behaving like an attention-seeking cat. Nevertheless his mind was glued to Marinette. Would she answer honestly? The last days were a rush of fights and photoshots and way to short meet-ups after dark. Adrien simply forgot to ask her. Did she stare a whole into his back now? Pondering which option would be the best to choose? Would Marinette pretend to be a care-free teenager like she always did?

Since three years Ladybug und Chat Noir were fighting akumas. Trying hard to oppose Hawkmouth with all they've got while balancing out their civilian lives. Marinette and Adrien would instantly agree that the latter was getting harder and harder to achieve, soon it would be an impossible task. School work was piling up, they had constantly to tell lies to Ayla and Nino, they'd never expected that secrets could weigh so heavily over the years.  
But they managed somehow. Thanks to their companionship. Thanks to Tikki and Plagg.  
Until today. Because some adults had the great idea to measure the stress level of all students. Was he stressed? Hell, yes! Should anyone know this? Definitely not. Questions would arise to whose his supermodel lifestyle could not serve as an excuse. For starters, it was kind of a miracle what his classmates thought about supermodels. He could tell them almost everything. As long as he smiled happily they've swallowed it.

"Bro…" Due to his cat senses Adrien caught Nino's almost inaudible whisper. He was reminding him to answer before their time run out. Otherwise Alya would kill him. For sure.  
Again he turned to his survey, though a Cheshire grin spread across his lips as a dangerous idea popped up. Yes, he would take this risk. Most likely it was worth the reward.  
 _Q17. Do you eat regularly?_ – Depends on my jobs. He ticked 'no'.  
 _Q18. Do you eat healthy?_ – Depends on your definition of healthy, so probably a no, too. His eating habits were absolutely weird. He didn't need a test to prove that. Since he had found his princess he was leading a double food life, training even harder to run off all those chocolate buttery tasty sweet treats the Dupain-Cheng bakery did offer. So far no photographer complained that he had gained unnecessary weight.  
Adrien chose his answers as fast as he could; trying to forget all those limitations he was bound to in his civilian life. Be yourself. Act naturally. Don't lie.  
 _  
Q23. Is it hard for you to concentrate?_ – Sometimes.  
He did not dare to write depends on Ladybug's smile, rainy days and other things cats despise.  
 _Q24. Do you tend to have small accidents? Or are you getting hurt unintentionally?_ Yes. Akumas created accidents while breathing.  
 _Q25. On a scale from 0 to 10 how easily do you get angry over those small accidents?_ This survey was very thorough. Adrien crossed 3, he was often reacting over-agitated but lately his princess leveled him very well.  
 _Q42. Name your best friends._ Marinette. – Adrien paused for a moment and scribbled – My cat Plagg. Nino. Tikki. Alya.

Adrien swiped the page with a fluid motion of his pen. Hopefully he wasn't provoking to much trouble for his lady. Still, after being Chat Noir for three years he trusted his intuition more than anything.  
This survey would turn out interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

Marinette squirmed in her seat.  
What should she do? Her stress level had to be higher than anyone else's - except Adrien's because nothing could be compared to a superhero life. The good things and the worse. But should she answer honestly? Her gaze shifted to a blond mob of hair in front of her and she sighed desperately. Why did she forget to talk about this with him in the first place? Ahhh, yes, because this week had been super eventful and absolutely stressing.  
Like proofing her thoughts Adrien hardly suppressed a yawn and sipped coffee from his travel-mug.  
Marinette suppressed a sigh. She already drank her mocha coffee till the last drop.  
"Stop daydreaming", Alya whispered. "You can swoon over your prince afterwards, girl."  
Marinette nodded dutifully. Now and then she was still swooning over Adrien, especially if a new magazine was published with a glossy masterpiece of him. She would never tell her kitty though, he didn't need to know this fangirling side of her too well. Fighting akumas was hard enough without ogling his leather-clad ass.  
"Mari", Alya pressed.  
"I'm on it", she yawned.  
With an apologetic smile Marinette focused on those damn questions. In her purse Tikki sent an encouraging hum plus a wave of warmth in order to calm her troubled mind. Never ending lines of black words on an illuminated screen didn't mean her downfall. There was no reason to panic over a catalogue of almost hundred questions. Especially when most of her classmates already finished this dull task; eager to leave school afterwards.

 _Q5. Are you feeling tired?_ – Always.  
 _Q6. Can you sleep at night?_ – No. Marinette deleted her first answer and replaced it with: hardly.  
 _Q7. How often are you having nightmares?_ – Marinette ticked 'regularly'. Since Adrien sneaked as Chat into her bedroom after suffering from a nightmare, too, her own's were kept at bay more often. Cuddling while hearing his steady breath always soothed her.  
Until recently Marinette never thought how many people in Paris hardly managed everyday life due to constant stress of akuma attacks. Sure, her Lucky Charm could repair all damage done, but this only refereed to objects. She realized almost too late how fearful and nervous especially the students of their lycée had gotten. In the third year of their superhero life official polls awarded college and lycée Francoise Dupont with an undeserved label: For the time being their school had suffered the most akuma cases of Paris. Almost every student had been akumatized twice or even three times.  
Hakwmoth was claiming schools as his private playgrounds. Raging teenage hormones, bullying, insecurities – Francoise Dupont was like a feast for purple butterflies.  
Marinette and Adrien had read the news and seen all the talk shows on TV where politicians and worried parents discussed possible solutions without speaking about the real culprit: a certain Moth miraculous holder.  
Hesitant how to react without revealing too much, Alya had sprung into action. Thanks to her blog her knowledge of akumas was huge. She still hasn't discovered every detail of the magic, but she was as good as a civilian could be. Studying the victims, their reasons and the reactions of the crowd for three years now, Alya developed a stress level survey. In the first place it should discover students who tended to be emotionally unstable. Alya wanted to intervene and help before Hawkmouth sent out a butterfly.

 _Q9. Do you feel satisfied with your work?_ – Yes.  
Saving Paris all the time was quite satisfying. Although she had to sacrifice her ordinary life, she loved the thrill and she loved to help all those people even more. That's why she was answering honestly. Maybe her answers could be used as a role model for a high akuma alert or something like this. Without her miraculous she would have been... No, Marinette did not want to visualize those horrific scenarios, never again. Her nightmares of a possessed Chat were still haunting her.  
More than anything she wished to lessen the tension, to ease everyone's nerves. Plus for the first time in forever she could do this as plain Marinette. Not as Ladybug. Having a change of pace once in a while was refreshing.  
Taking another glance at Adrien she hoped he would acknowledge her decision.  
 _Q10. Do you make mistakes?_ – Probably more often than she should and checked 'often'.  
 _Q11. Have your grades dropped?_ – Yes. But her tutor was working hard to change that. Marinette smiled at her thoughts. Adrien did his best to learn together with her; somehow they squeezed those sessions into their hectic schedule. The best motivation had offered his kwami, though. Tikki always encouraged her and tried to see the positive side of things. Plagg was brutally honest: If Marinette screwed up tests, assignments or finals; she wouldn't go the same class as her love anymore.  
This fuelled her more than anything.  
Shaking her head till her pigtails went flying Marinette swiped the page of the questionnaire. She forced herself not to look at Alya. Her bestie was probably glowing from pride and trying to read her answers. Since she had to learn from psychologists and a bunch of other specialists she was noisier than ever, her curiosity never reached its peak.  
Heck, she even forced some of those questions into Ladybug's face – Marinette remembered now. Alya mentioned that she worked her superhero knowledge into this survey, too, but Marinette had been too tired to inquiry this further.

 _Q52. When was the last time you fully enjoyed yourself on a trip or outing with friends?_ – About four months ago. Back then Hawkmoth vanished into thin air for two whole weeks. Two whole weeks she spent with sleeping, playing games and having a first date with Adrien disguised as superheroes.  
This question was especially hard to answer honestly. Somehow Marinette felt like she was missing out on her teenage years, although the sadness did not linger for long. Which teenage girl could fly over Paris with a magical yoyo? Kiss Chat Noir on top of illuminated Eiffel Tower? Still, akumas seemed to sense all her happy moments, eager to interrupt them. Even yesterday she failed to finish an ice cream cone with Adrien before the latest attack hit Paris.  
 _Q64. Is someone bullying you? If yes, how often?_ – Yes. Almost daily.  
Hawkmoth, you big butterfly bully. Marinette controlled herself not to write that down.  
 _Q65. How do feel about this? Choose an adequate adject…._  
She was determined to get rid of him one day. Suddenly Marinette's thoughts drifted to Chloé, another target to get rid of. Sometimes she wondered if Miss Akumatizer was secretly acting as Hawkmoth's minion, but the mayor's daughter would never lift a finger for anyone. Probably the super villain would be working for her instead or kick her out of his hideout after three days of constant bragging. Both ideas seemed possible.  
Marinette ticked 'furious'. It was a risky phrasing but deep down she was full of rage and insecurities and disappointment. After three years of playing a monstrous kind of hide and seek with Hawkmoth they still had no clue how to catch him.

In the end all her answers would be summarized into a ratio that depicted her stress level. Yet, the details were confidential, the others students would only see her result. Satisfied with this kind of concealment Marinette pressed 'sent'. Her convertible beeped before closing the app her best friend created in order to take this test at every school in Paris. Adrien's chimed in a similar fashion and their gazes shifted to the screen in front of their classroom. A chart presented everyone's results. The names of her friends were colored in different hues referring to their current stress-level. Alya had explained that the best results were painted white, but only a zen-master could attain this level. Blue was pretty relaxed, green numbers had a tinge of aggression, followed by yellow and so on … Marinette hadn't bothered the remember all the details.  
The chart reloaded, presenting her own result in letters as red as her ladybug suit: _Stress level 96/100_.


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

 _The chart reloaded, presenting her own result in letters as red as her ladybug suit: Stress level 96/100._

Marinette stifled a groan. Whoops. This was pretty bad. How she wished to score so many points in a real physics test.  
The whole classroom went silent. No one had expected this from clumsy, but mostly composed Marinette. Though, it reflected her life as Ladybug very well.  
Even Chloé was stunned before she settled for a verbal attack. "You've cheated!"  
Slowly Marinette turned to face her long term school nemesis. "I. Would. Never. Cheat." She emphasized every word, but Chloé wasn't buying her seriousness.  
"Stop seeking attention!" She shouted with a flick of her blond hair. "In truth you are a selfish, stone hearted bitch, because nothing that has happened in the past three years really affected you, did it?" Chloé's own score was a light yellow hue, stressed but getting along well.  
Marinette bit her tongue before she spilled any unnecessary information. "Good for you to be Antibug once, this disguises you're selfish, ice-cold personality." Marinette didn't raise her voice but every word was laced with fury. In the corner of her eye she saw Adrien flinch, although he tried the hardest to change his childhood friend, Chloé never listened to his efforts. Lately he just tried to stop Marinette before she could strangle her.  
"Chloé, please …" He stated calmly.  
"Then why are you the only one who has never been chosen by a butterfly? Why Marinette?"  
Adrien hadn't been akumatized either, but they wouldn't rub this detail under everyone's nose. He closed his mouth, letting his protest go unfinished. After revealing each other's identities Marinette forbid him to defend her in fights as civilians. He even had to pledge to her to stay out. Because as often as he would take all the damage during an akuma attack she needed his reassuring smile, soft gaze and the silent promise of a hug every time Marinette clashed with Chloé. Though she couldn't always depend on him.  
"Why, you ask?" Marinette pierced her with an icy glare. "Maybe I'm not listening to strange voices in my head which promise me the moon and back."  
The other students in class including the teacher made embarrassed sounds at her reply; no one dared to look each other in the eyes. Except Adrien. He chuckled lightly at her retort.

The chart loaded again, this time adding Adrien's points. Again the class fell silent.  
On second place he was set with bloody red _94/100_.  
"This survey is crooked!" Chloé shouted. "I'll tell daddy to postpone this ridiculous test, Adrikins!"  
Adrien only shrugged at her outburst. "Well, I've thought green suits me better", he joked dryly, causing Nino to laugh louder than he should have. Suddenly Marinette missed the pun her Chaton would have uttered if they were alone at this moment.  
"I still prefer blue on you, but …" Marinette chuckled in a way so that Chat's ears would have perked up. "Seems like I've won."  
For a second Adrien's eyes were blazing as if he was telling her: You only won this time, bug.

"Did you get the meaning of this test?" Alya asked slightly offended. "Your goal is to achieve a low score. Girl, be honest, did you sleep during my explanations? Did you forget to answer some questions?"  
Marinette shook her head. She felt half of her classmate's gazes on her; the other ones were nervously eying Adrien. A high stress level was a sign of being an easy akuma victim. Instead of establishing a light atmosphere they worsened the situation for everyone. Look, Marinette will be captured by a purple butterfly soon, maybe tomorrow during lunch break. Oh no, maybe we should avoid Adrien, he will be a villain any minute now. Beware of Agrestinator, he's going to turn each and every spectator into mannequins, creating an eternal, evil fashion show! Or something stupid like that.  
She didn't have to be a mind-reader to get to this conclusion. One sudden movement like bouncing from her chair and everyone would be flinching, hiding and screeching in terror.  
Adrien guessed her thoughts right and turned to Marinette, wearing a sheepish Chat-like grin. They've blown up big this time.

Alya really bounced of her chair sending some of their classmates under the tables. "Did you do this on purpose?"  
"No." Marinette hold up her hands defensively. "I answered honestly, I swear. I would never ruin your hard work."  
Alya sent a furious glare to Adrien who was still grinning. „Apparently we are as stressed as Ladybug and Chat Noir", he quipped satisfied; leaning casually into his chair. "Do I get a button now? Something like 'living the superhero life'?"  
"Maybe I'll stitch you a badge with a cute black kitty." Marinette teased him. Her Ladybug sass bubbled up before she could stop herself. Damn sleep deprivation. "I need a coffee mug with 'Don't disturb, stressed superhero at work'. Red with black polka dots, please."  
"More likely 'Bring me coffee or I'll lash you up'. You're such an addict, princess." Adrien joined their typical banter, realizing too late that they hid this side of them at school. Alya and Nino looked at the two dumbfounded. Even Chloé was at a loss for words. Marinette saw a flicker of fear in Adrien's eyes that he had let down their agreement, so she settled for a cocky grin.  
"Says who?" She pointed at a travel-mug beside Adrien which was similar to her own.  
Coffee was their secret life line. Especially after spending a whole night on a rampaging akuma.  
"Did you call her PRINCESS?" Chloé screeched, ready to attack Marinette at any second.  
"Class!" Suddenly her teacher remembered his duties, although he was still staring at the scores. "Quiet please!"  
Smiling Marinette offered a wrist to Adrien. The gesture was second nature to her as soon as they accomplished a task. Plus the other students would label it as some kind of act or even impersonating of Paris' beloved heroes. Not the real deal.  
At least no one was hiding under the tables anymore.  
Whispering 'bien joué' Marinette and Adrien pounded their knuckles before bursting into laughter no else in class could fully comprehend.

"Probably the headmaster wishes to see us now?", Adrien suggested as he calmed down first, earning a nod from their teacher.  
With an astonishingly smooth routine Marinette and Adrien gathered their things, not bothering to look at Alya or Nino or even reacting to Chloés wrathful curses. Their class was still shaking off the mixed feelings of surprise, shock and fear which had utterly dazzled them. So, no one noticed that Adrien held open the heavy wooden door for Marinette before he laced their fingers together.

* * *

A/N: Otaku-at-best, do you want a badge or a coffee mug, too? ;)


	4. Chapter 4

_I tried to get this out before Christmas but time flew by as I stayed with my family. Hopefully you enjoyed the holidays, too. :)_  
 _Therefore, chapter 4 is a bit longer. ;)_

* * *

The door behind them fell close with a heavy bang. Seconds later a key was turned locking them into a small changing room.  
"We will return in one hour. Relax, children." A voice declared, followed by footsteps fading into the distance. Adrien listened to them a while longer, cocking his head to the side as he concentrated on the sound.  
„I'm sorry, princess," he whispered.  
„You are not." Marinette took a tour around the room, eyeing every corner, even looking under the benches before her tension vanished.  
"I'm sorry for the slip." He confessed. "And that we were separated because of Chloé's outburst."  
Due to their highest scores in their lycée Adrien and Marinette were whisked away by the adults. Locked into two different rooms, their teachers explained that they had to take immediate action. There was no more time to loose, so that the duo was sent to a recreational hour right after school. Their parents were informed, even Adrien's fencing lesson was canceled as everyone rushed into preparations.  
"Nevermind, kitty. I used the break for sketching." Marinette smiled at him lovingly making Adrien's heart skip a beat. "Chloé probably did visit you seconds after my leave. This is punishment enough."  
"Now, I'm positive to score a higher mark in Alya's survey." Ever so clingy Chloé had assured him that hadn't to take this ridiculous recreational hour. She had squeezed his arm, until his fingers went numb, blared non-stop but didn't ask him one personal question. Really, Adrien wondered how anyone could ever think that they would look good as a couple.  
Adrien watched Marinette as she carefully put away her bag and slipped out of her flats before he placed his things beside hers. His action shielded Tikki's flight out of her hide-out into Adrien's hoodie pocket where Plagg already waited for her.  
Marinette stretched and rolled her shoulders while he tucked away his trainers; giving Tikki time to adjust. No spectator would suspect this; at worst they would question their fine-tuned movements. Lately they've often swapped kwamis at school or left them in the care of one of the pair.

"Why did you pull that stunt?," Marinette asked squinting.  
He grinned his signature smile discarding his civilian mask. "I figured you would answer honestly. So we could spend time together."  
Nevertheless Marinette sent him an angry glare. "How did you manage that we're together in this?"  
"Natalie worked her magic. "  
Her face lit up with excitement for a second.  
After revealing the real creator of Adrien's scarf the manager excused profusely her behavior, expecting to get fired on the spot. But Adrien had taken a liking on her. Despite her strict work ethic, she started to clear up time slots where he could meet his friends, catch a movie or sleep longer on a Sunday. The news of their blooming relationship sent her to bliss; instantly becoming their biggest supporter.  
Nathalie protected their little secret as if it could compensate Adrien's hardships. No one would take this happiness from them if she had a word in that. She dodged every interview, cemented the lie that they were mere classmates. Even told Gabriel Agreste that Marinette was an upcoming designer his son had taken a professional interest into. This ended in sending in a portfolio with her designs that returned with hastily scribbled comments. Adrien smiled at the memory of a gooey-legged Marinette, flushed and extremely nervous because of her very first review.  
"Nevertheless …" She still doubted his decision. "We should be more cautious in the future, Adrien."  
He nodded ruefully, beckoning her to turn. Without second thought she followed his command and a content sigh slipped from her lips when Adrien let her pigtails down, combing through them with his fingers. He was extremely fond of this silky feeling plus the certainty that Marinette trusted him fully.  
Gently pulling up her bluish strands, he twined them into a messy bun. Even nowadays his hair styling skills were odd, a perk of growing up between models and make-up crews. Marinette giggled as Adrien fixed his work with some pins he always carried around.  
"Satisfied, kitty?"  
"Always." He focused on the little mole on Marinette's neck, pondering if he should brush it or even kiss it lightly. "If my cat senses don't betray me, you wouldn't like to get your pretty hair all tangled up."  
Yet, she'd never questioned his urge to play with her hair. For Adrien it was the only way to actually create something. At least temporally.  
He made a few finishing touches, catching the way Marinette arched an eyebrow questionably. "Well, ready to discover those calming activities?"  
"Yeah, let's tackle that."  
He chuckled. "Relax, princess."  
"Something the mayor decided mostly turns out to be bad."  
"There's no akuma…"  
"Yet." Marinette interfered. Her sunshine mood seemed awfully cloudy today.  
"No one can disturb us, one hour of peace and …" Adrien tugged gently until she followed him and opened the door at the other side of the room. "Apparently kittens."  
He didn't regret his decision as Marinette squealed in delight. 

Meanwhile in Alya's room Nino was analyzing each and every survey. Depending on the answers Alya wanted to create an early-warning system. Ladybug and Chat Noir could only have benefits of a database full with information about possible akuma victims. Plus connections who could help them to identify the cursed object and calm the culprit down.  
"Funny that Adrien und Marinette had the highest scores," Nino said. He was not as eagerly reading as he should. Though spending time with Alya could be certainly worse. More dangerous, colder, rainier. More crouching in uncomfortable places. Almost cuddling with her was a huge improvement. Unfortunately she was way too focused.  
"Adrien didn't surprise me, being the workaholic as he is." Alya shook her head. "I've never thought Marinette was this stressed. What is she doing all the time?"  
"Maybe her anxieties trigger it." Nino guessed leaning back on the sofa. His own hue had been surprisingly calm. Referring to Alya's color code he was now labeled as sky-blue.  
"Yeah … she's always on the edge. Though she calmed down in the last weeks around Adrien, I don't know, I always assumed she was the busy artist type. A scatter-brain full of ideas."  
Although the survey should be handled super confidential, Alya had sneaked into the principal's office and downloaded everything to a flash drive.  
Nino still didn't know why he agreed to keep watch.  
Nino didn't know either why he agreed to accompany Alya to the next copy shop, paid half for printing at least three thousand pages and carried them to his girl's home.  
At least he knew one reason: Liking Alya made him to do stupid things.

According to the student-IDs the stacks of paper in front of them were their classmate's answers because Alya wanted to analyze those first. Nino had snatched their best friends, hopefully treading into safe terrain. Honestly he didn't want to see Ivan's or Alix' surveys. Revealing unadorned truth could destroy their mostly friendly class atmosphere.  
Plus he was the worst at keeping secrets.  
He read in silence while Alya was still mumbling how Adrien and Marinette did score so many points.  
"Reading confined stuff …" Nino hesitated to voice his doubts. "Isn't this called cheating?"  
"It's for their best. Do you want them to be minions of evil?"  
"No." Although he didn't remember much of his short time as The Bubbler his classmates still offered embarrassing details of his actions. "Honestly, I'm feeling guilty discovering their secrets."  
"I know everything about my girl."  
Nino decided to test her resolve. "Who's Tikki?"  
Alya jolted. "What?"  
"T-i-k-k-i." He spelled out. "Adrien and Marinette surprisingly wrote the same best friends. Our group, of course. Adrien never told me he has a cat named Plagg, but I'm not staying very often at his home because his dad absolutely despises me… And this Tikki. I've never heard of her."  
A cute wrinkle appeared on her forehead and Ayla pushed back her glasses. Nino tried not to stare, heck, he had a thing about those black-rimmed specs. „They sharing a friend none of us has ever met or seen? And Marinette befriended with his cat?! She would probably hyperventilate if she touched the same floor as genius designer Mr. Agreste."  
"Genius or not, he's a prick." Nino shrugged, wishing to get close enough to gently pull down her glasses.  
"Stop joking."  
"I'm not."  
"You are!"  
Nino shoved the current answers into her hands. Instead of listening to Alya's complaints he scanned Marinette's print out briefly. "Hah, who would have thought this? The odds must be one million to one."

"What now?" Ayla didn't even bother to lower her voice. She was still fuming over this mysterious Tikki. "They're secretly perfect for each other but damn oblivious?"  
"Close." Nino let out an amused chuckle. "They're both having a secret relationship."  
The stack of papers Alya was holding rushed to the floor. "Repeat that."  
"Listen. Question 78: Are you in a relationship? If yes, with whom and how long?" Nino held up Adrien's paper. "'Yes. It's a secret. For 12 weeks, 5 days.' My bro's adorkable, right?"  
Alya pierced him with an incredulous look, her fingers gripping into her jeans and red blotches forming on her cheeks. "Continue reading. Now."  
Nino switched the pages. "And Marinette answered: 'Yes. It's a secret. For 12 weeks.'"  
Alya's scream startled him so much Nino ducked instinctively, using the paper as a shield. He liked her a lot, but sometimes she could be scarier than his mom.  
"Do you get what this means?" Alya took a deep breath. "Oh my GOD!"  
"Marinette is over her crush?" Nino guessed. "And didn't tell you?" That would explain her reaction, wouldn't it? Well, Adrien divulged Nino about a secret girl he was trying to charm for months. Nino had always thought secret meant it was another model or someone popular who would be hunted by the media as equally as Adrien.  
"You idiot!" Alya lunged at him, hitting him flat against the chest. "No! Try again!"  
"Adrien finally won the heart of his mystery girl?"  
Alya groaned and slapped him once more, not minding their closeness. He hid a smile and shuffled his weight so that she instinctively leaned on him. Playing dumb definitely had merits. He blurted out two other options, both ridiculous, enjoying Alya's wrath a bit more than he should have. Then his mind shifted to the bizarre scene he had witnessed this afternoon. Marinette and Adrien bantering, sharing jokes, and subtly flirting like … like a couple.  
Wow. They should celebrate this huge success as soon as possible!

Suddenly Alya grabbed her laptop, the most determined look shown on her face Nino had ever seen.  
"What are you doing?"  
She threw her hands into the air after pressing the power button. "I'm hacking into the security system of our school! The recreational hours are recorded because … nevermind. I need a proof of that secret relationship."  
"But …"  
"I wondered why the hell being all alone with Adrien should reduce Marinette's stress and why his manager almost threatened the teachers to – they're so cheeky!"  
Nino laughed at her antics. "You could simply ask them?"  
"No, they've lied for twelve weeks. I won't be waiting any longer."  
With a sigh Nino gathered up the papers and continued reading. Once set on fire nothing could stop this girl.


	5. Chapter 5

**HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017! :)**

* * *

5.

Marinette almost run into the next room that was coated with soft fabric on every surface. Cushions and foam pads laid everywhere like some volcano of absolute coziness had exploded.  
„Soooo cute!"  
Adrien strolled after her as a dozen of kittens were waiting for them. Everything seemed to scream fluffy, comfortable, and relaxing. Even the lights were dimmed to a warm shade of orange. Cat toys were scattered and the room was filled with soft meows and cute wailing only kittens can voice.  
Suddenly the recreational hour turned into a cat playground.  
"Already feeling at home with your adorable brothers and sisters waiting for you?" Her joke just triggered a sly smile.  
"Nah, I'm much cuter." Playfully Adrien raised his hands, imitating cat paws.  
"If you think so."  
He held his hand higher to his face, bending his back. "Nya, Nya."  
Marinette burst into laughter at his sight. "Come here, my dork. I surrender to your magical girl power."  
"I would be a great nekojin," he stated proudly, dropping his act. "Do you think they'll turn our story into an anime one day?"  
Adrien would sure buy every freaking volume, special edition and the original score, Marinette thought. Plus every ounce of merchandise he could find online. He still collected Ladybug stuff.  
"Be careful, someone who loves to annoy you could alternate your suit."  
Adrien's reaction was priceless. Stopping midair, he shifted his gaze as if he imagined a leather clad sailor uniform with maid-like frills at the rims.  
Even half a year after revealing their identities Marinette was still surprised of his acts, puns and faces. Although his father brought him up to behave calm, collected and rational, Adrien hid an abundance of emotions behind his everyday mask. Sometimes and on occasions like this Marinette wished no one else would discover his playful side. It was a selfish thought but the real Adrien was just meant for her.  
Marinette went down on her knees and four kittens crawled straightaway over to her. Their steps were light but unsteady, big adoring eyes locked onto her gaze so that Marinette was close to swooning.  
"You won't win this fight, kitty," she teased. Marinette extended a hand, so that the little balls of fur could sniff her fingers. Due to the health standards of the bakery she never took care of a pet, having an aquarium never spiked her interest. But getting greeted by those kittens showering love like breathing … thanks to them even the hardest akuma attack should be half-forgotten quickly.

"I asked Nathalie to check the security standards." Adrien flopped beside her, settling down next to a bunch of cushions. "There are cameras in each corner, recording this as a live stream. Some psychologist, teachers and I don't know who will watch it, but they've signed a non-disclosure agreement. Plus, the voice recording is turned off and the videos will be deleted via 24 hours. Natalie will witness this personally."  
"We should thank her with a giant basket of cookies." Marinette suggested. The kittens were climbing up her legs; the most eager started clinging to her shirt for seeking attention.  
Adrien grinned at her idea. He loved baking with her family. Marinette always considered this as trivial, daily business, but her boyfriend never experienced those little moments at home.  
"So, we are safe as long we don't pull any stunts or speak directly into the cameras." Adrien summed up. He casually leaned onto the cushions and Tikki flew out of his pocket, hiding between the soft fabrics.  
Instead of being the center of curiosity – like Marinette – those tiny kittens avoided Adrien, some of them even hissed while ruffling their fur.  
Unfazed he took a walk across the recreational space. Marinette cuddled absent-mindedly her kittens, watching Adrien as he inspected the surroundings. He had a growth spurt last year, now his slender body resembled more and more Gabriel Agreste's. But Adrien had grown out his hair a bit, wearing it more wildly now. Many boys and men were copying Chat Noir's style, though Adrien still looked most handsome with it.  
Sweaty after a heavy fight, soaked in rain or coated in dust – the original oozed absolute beautiful sexiness. A copy could never keep up with it.  
His blazing green eyes bore into hers and Marinette offered a loving smile. She was the only girl that knew the tight muscles of Chat by heart. She could draw them with eyes closed. Plus, she was the only one knowing that those were hiding under Adrien's more casual, sportive attire.  
She aimed to keep it that way.

"Consider it bad luck, but I'm not welcomed here." Again Adrien crouched in front of her but the cats either fled from him or started to banish and attack him. Well, attack him as hard as a small ball of fur could. They concentrated fully on Marinette even defended her with hisses and growls as Adrien tried to shuffle closer.  
Instinctively he slouched down like a predator, evoking his Chat Noir behavior. Almost on eye level he erupted a deep threatening growl. Marinette envisioned his cat ears laying flat, his tail flicking angrily.  
The more aggressive kittens scrambled backwards now, seeking shelter behind Marinette who stifled a giggle.  
"They're not accepting you as their alpha cat, sorry, love. Maybe they dislike your scent, they probably smell the faint whiff of camembert."  
"I always thought I am a cat person." Adrien watched longingly the heap of tiny fur balls gathering around her. Some kittens were rubbing their heads at Marinette thighs, softly mewling once she didn't caress them. "I have to fight off alley cats on outdoor shots so much, the photographer sometimes include them into their work."  
Adrien sighed. For several years he had felt left out and put into a cage that he could only break with magical strength. Any recapitulation of that lifestyle brought out the sad, battered expression he often wore as Marinette met him three years ago.  
"Wait …"  
With a swift movement Adrien grabbed Plagg who was cursing and wiggling as if his life depended on it. He placed the kwami on the floor and before it could fly away two kittens smashed him happily. At first concern grew inside of Marinette till the kittens which were still bigger than Plagg started to pet him eagerly. One even licked his fur.  
"You're paying for that, kid."  
Adrien chuckled. "I just introduced you to your adorable brothers and sisters."  
Marinette and Tikki giggled in unison.  
"That's like introducing the rich flavor of a well-aged camembert to a family of cheese substitute stuff humans scatter on their pizza." Plagg's struggle was of no avail. "Back off, you lot!"  
One brave kitten waddled in front of Adrien now, acting up the most heartbroken wail Marinette ever heard until scratched the spot between its ears carefully. It emitted a soft purr, almost too faint between the playful meowing of the others.  
„Look, Mari. Look!", he exclaimed joyfully as he was allowed to place the kitten on his comparable huge hand.  
Adrien almost glowed from happiness so that Marinette leaned over pecking him on the cheek. He was way too cute in his honest almost childlike joy.

* * *

Alya was awesomely scary.  
Nino inched closer to her as she was typing and clicking on her laptop furiously. Like a soldier she was set out on a war, determined to win. She didn't even bother as he snuck up and laid a arm behind her shoulders, settling on the head section of her sofa.  
"Yesss!" She shouted joyfully, bumping her fist into thin air. "I did it."  
The stream stabilized finally; giving them a clearer picture. Nino leaned even closer to catch a glimpse of their friends.  
"You're the best," he acknowledged. Scary but really awesome. With a few clicks Alya switched between four camera angles till she found the best one.  
Obviously Marinette and Adrien were having a good time. Kittens were resting all over them, some of chased threads of yarn or nudged toys around the room with their paws. Considering the small laptop screen and irregular image interferences the atmosphere seemed peaceful to Nino. He could imagine his friend's laughter and gushing over their furry playmates. Especially Adrien.  
Somehow the tiniest black cat Nino had ever seen climbed Adrien's shoulder, placing himself in the crook of his neck.  
"There's no audio track, why is there no audio track?" As usual Alya talked to herself while trying to solve a problem. "Damn it! Can you read lips, Nino?"  
"I'm afraid not." Their friends never faced the cameras directly though. Even lip reading would be difficult like this.  
For a second Alya turned to him, sending him a scowl. But then she tackled her task, almost blending in with her keyboard. She leaned backwards as if she sought a more comfortable position. Nino didn't mind at least. Good for him that she was too occupied to discover his satisfied grin.

A crackling sound suddenly appeared changing into distorted voices. Sunken deep into concentration Alya bit her lip and let her fingers fly over the keys. She had to turn the volume up to a maximum before they could finally eavesdrop.  
Nino threw his lasts doubts out of the window.  
Hopefully he didn't make the wrong decision.  
"Did you know that cats reduce their owner's stress?" Adrien's voice explained like a professor. "This is scientifically proven."  
„I need a better kitty, then." Marinette teased. "You're only giving me heart attacks."  
"Just pawsitive ones." Nino smiled at this awful pun since Adrien laughed wholeheartedly. The sound alone was relaxing. His bro needed every chance to laugh and live freely he could get.  
But then Ayla gasped as Marinette tapped Adrien's nose playfully. Nino recognized this move somehow, but he couldn't place on a finger on it.  
"I'm afraid not," Marinette said.  
On screen Adrien laid a hand over his heart. „You wound me, princess. My heart goes crazy every time you flash a smile."  
Again Nino couldn't shake off the feeling of a déjà-vu. Before he could think about it, Alya went into a squealing fit, shaking the device that was placed in her lap. Without it she would have probably jumped up and down of joy, performing a happy dance like no one else had done yet.  
The versions of Marinette and Adrien they met everyday would never flirt. Never ever. Adrien behaved like a gentlemen teleported from an old black-and-white movie. And Marinette … although she calmed down around Adrien, she had never made a move on him. Never tackled the goal of confessing to her long-term crush. They had been friends, good friends, though always keeping a distance to each other.  
Nino's train of thoughts stopped and made a back flip. They've chosen to keep this distance. To persuade everyone that they were only friends. Always keeping Alya or Nino between them, always avoiding situations that could show them as a couple.  
Why? Nino asked himself. Why this masquerade?  
Did they fear Adrien's fangirls of hell? Did they fear the media reaction? Marinette wouldn't give a damn about magazine articles and stuff, he contemplated. Or would she?

"Shit." Alya muttered. „I was hundred percent sure that Marinette would pass out cold, if Adrien ever flirted sincerely with her. But she's brushing off his advances without effort!"  
After a billion pep talks Alya was left astonished. Her firm convictions had crumpled within seconds.  
On screen Marinette giggled so that they almost missed her retort. „Good that cats have nine lives."  
„No, I already died and met an angel." Adrien slipped his arm under Marinette's and interlaced their fingers with ease. This gesture radiating so much affection Nino didn't trust his eyes at first.  
"That's cheesy. Even for you."  
"Don't compare cheese to this blockhead's attempts of being a flirt." Someone growled in the background. But this was ridiculous. Wasn't it? They had to be alone.  
"Do you feel like watching two strangers, too?," Nino asked dumb-founded.  
Alya nodded silently.  
They'd never expected this development. They'd never dreamed seeing their friends like this. Well … maybe Alya did fantasize about it once or twice.  
"ARGH!" Again she dropped everything she was clutching seconds before but this time Nino was quick to react to her outburst. "The moment they out of this recreational hour, they're dead! Sneaky little lovebirds!"  
"So much for stress-relief," Nino chuckled.  
Yet, the most startling discovery was still to come.


	6. Chapter 6

**6.**

Often enough Marinette had stressed out during her babysitting hours with Manon but being almost buried by kittens just made feel light and fuzzy. They were scratching her – not on purpose – and seemed to be determined to dissolve her rosé colored wool dress with black flowers stitched on the front. Nevertheless she couldn't stop caressing them.  
"My stress relieving effects are not appreciated." Adrien pouted adoringly, although he stroked her hand with his thumb in small circles. Nothing would make them loose their link; they couldn't help but search for the touch of each other.  
„Okay, okay," Marinette gave in, "tell me those effects. I'm all ears."  
Adrien huffed, turning his face away from her.  
"I can handle flying like crazy through Paris. I'm positive I can pet cats and listen to you at the same time."  
He didn't turn back.  
„Really?" Marinette smiled though. „Remember Paper Clone? I had to fight five copies at once but managed pretty well. Kittens won't overburden me."  
„I had to beat twenty at once. Five, pfft. Five is easy." Marinette discovered the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. His caressing thumb never stopped, the best sign he was only teasing her out of habit.  
"I would like to hear them." Tikki chirped inside her hide-out. "It's sounds interesting."  
Plagg groaned. "Please, don't encourage him more than necessary, Tikki."  
Marinette understood long ago how their kwamis balanced each other out. She often went along with Plagg's sarcasm while Adrien almost loved too much Tikki's support. Each alone was the most fitting guides they could wish for yet they needed both to function at best. Teamwork started with trust and sharing their different opinions.  
"Well." At first Adrien spoke directly to Tikki, it looked like he was lecturing a heap of cushions. "Cats reduce risks of strokes and heart attacks due to their calming nature. They're even lowering blood pressure or keep it at a constant level."  
"Why's that?", Tikki asked further.  
"Because cat owners seldom raise their voice while talking to their pets."  
"You're always raising your voice at me." Plagg whined.  
Adrien shrugged so that Plagg had clutch on his hoodie in order to keep his balance. "You're only half of a cat. I don't recall pets to be this noisy and selfish."  
"You're that, too." The black kwami nestled on Adrien's collar. Marinette always wondered why those two were bickering non-stop although Plagg obviously loved Adrien's proximity.  
"I am what?" Adrien raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
"Noisy and selfish."  
"Well, like owner, like pet," Marinette quipped.  
Plagg grumbled something that sounded like "No one's ever own me" and curled up on his spot.

"Who's this Tikki?" Alya fumed switching through all four security cameras. "Maybe she's standing in a blind spot. But why does she sound like an adult, like some twenty something … Why can she stay with Marinette? Why didn't my best friend ask me to join?"  
"You're not wondering why Adrien's cat can talk?" Nino asked.  
Alya scoffed. "Cat's don't talk."  
"Obviously. But who's this Plagg then? And where is he hiding?"  
Nino was quite sure that he didn't imagine the voices. They were listening to four persons but seeing only two – that was ridiculous, wasn't it?  
One of Alya's younger sisters barged into the room, demanding what they were doing and why she couldn't do her homework as Alya screeched like some kind of banshee. Alya quickly lied they were watching a movie her sister was too young for and fetched her ear buds. She might be delighted from the latest revelation but she wasn't completely out of mind. Yet.  
Before settling against Nino for the second time, she offered him one of the headphones. Her sister tried to tease them with some childish comments about kissing and being in love but Alya was too focused to react. Being ignored the little girl fled from them, crashing the door behind her.  
Though, Nino didn't put the plug in. Instead he recalled Marinette's and Adrien's conversation. Unlike Alya who was noisy and curious and eager to discover everything concealed, he was good at listening. Working with music brought up this trait; he could distinguish subtle differences in sounds and arrange music to every mood he has experienced once. He never used this within a discussion, but now he tried now to re-play the voices of his friends inside his mind. They were bantering a bit, but this wasn't a game, somehow Marinette and Adrien sounded serious despite being cheerful. Somehow they weren't lying. Nino had heard so many white lies of those two without blowing up their poor excuses because he didn't mind. Everyone was hiding a fact now and then. Nino hid his feelings for Alya, Marinette desperately tried to hide her clumsiness while Adrien focused on hiding everything family related.  
But they had been completely honest a couple of minutes ago. After a three years long friendship with his bro he could tell. And Marinette … well Marinette had always been like a little sister to him.  
"Alya."  
No response. This girl. Nino sighed. She was the best at throwing questions, even better if she had to put her nose into confidential stuff – but pretty oblivious to minor evidences. Small evidences could increase though. Mountain high discoveries seldom manifested with a bang Alya always looked for.  
"Alya." He softly tapped her arm. "Did you hear that they were fighting an akuma. I mean _fighting_."  
She didn't even flinch.  
Fangirl-mode. Every attempt to set them up failed until today, no wonder this secret relationship grilled her brain, turned her logic to mush.  
Still, Nino couldn't let it slide. They had been fighting an akuma. Together. Talking about it like it was second nature to them.  
Nino gulped but couldn't ignore his conclusion: as if they were some sort of superheroes.  
With a groan Alya jumped from her position as her sisters barged in fighting, trying to push them out quickly.  
Nino took a deep breath and put his ear bud in. He still had some uncertainties to clear up.

Inside the kitten box Marinette and Adrien were oblivious to the world. Inside the white walls everything else vanished, fears, threads, bad experiences, Marinette hadn't felt as relaxed as this for a long time. She pushed away the fact that had to leave after an hour.  
"Cats provide companionship and reduce the feelings of loneliness", Adrien continued. "They're triggering releases of oxytocin, the hormone known for inducing feelings of love and trust."  
He gently pulled her close so that she was leaning against him, fingers still intertwined. Kittens were jumping over their legs, happily enjoying their extended human playground.  
"When did you look all this stuff up?" Marinette asked surprised.  
"Well." Adrien smirked. "Like you I was asked by a certain noisy reporter a bunch of questions. On the next occasion I told her everything I knew about my fabulous traits."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. It's nice to been seen as a real help not only a sidekick."  
"Should I repeat my 'You're my partner, don't belittle yourself'-speech?"  
Adrien shook his head. "I don't mind the opinion of the Parisians, but sometimes a change of pace feels nice, princess. I've built up a complete database of our work yet I can tell anyone but the four of us."  
"We appreciate your hard work, Adrien." Tikki chimed and Plagg grumbled something, too. „And don't forget the guardian and Wayzz."  
Ladybug was a fighter. She was gifted, creative, a solution-finder, quick-tinker and acting on impulse. Chat Noir started off as a punching bag, providing distraction – but Adrien was smart as hell. Even before their reveal he started analyzing moves and counter-attacks, improving his fighting skills. Deep down he was a nerd with two supercomputers - one in his room, the other one safely hidden in his head. He had even told Plagg and Tikki how to enhance the structure of their costumes so that the blows wouldn't be too much to handle anytime soon. Marinette had half-forgotten all those scientific terms after hearing them. Though they did work in a splendid way.  
Soon-to-be-professor Chat was the brain of their team. As always brains weren't as compelling as a girl in a skin-tight suit which saved the day regularly. No one appreciated the work behind the scenes as long as the results were mesmerizing.  
Marinette did tough. Designing taught her that nobody cared how many cuts and miscalculations she had to live through. Everyone only saw the final creation.

"Give me a second …" Suddenly Marinette sat up and eyed her surroundings. "Did you have a hand in this … kitten therapy thingy?"  
"Maybe …" Adrien tilted his head, showing his signature smile full of cheek and confidence. "Maybe I explained someone the traits of cats after learning about worse case scenarios for extremely stressed class mates."  
Marinette whistled in awe. "You did plan so far in advance?"  
His smile broadened, green eyes sparkling.  
"And did you use Alya to set up this play-date?"  
"Anything for you, princess."  
Her chaton never ceased to amaze her.  
She probably should scold him, but Marinette couldn't muster the energy to do it. She had complained a lot about their increasing superhero workload lately, so she didn't mind this break at least.  
"Kitty …"  
Adrien's smile faltered for a second or two.  
"Next time we need to unwind, let's go on a date."  
"Promise, princess." He happily replied and avoided any possible pun. Marinette counted this half as an apology and let his scheme go without reprimand.  
"Do you think there are researches about me, too?" Tikki wondered still occupied with their topic beforehand. "Besides being a symbol of luck I might have powers I've never imagined."  
Marinette snuggled closer to her boyfriend. "We can look them up later if you want."  
"I'll help, too." Adrien offered.  
A satisfied hum sounded from under the cushions and Plagg demanded to be left out of it the second he could place his paws around a wheel of camembert.  
No one expected a major change in their life anytime soon. As long they hadn't any clue to Hawkmoth's identity.

Nino dropped his ear bud.  
He did hear those explanations before. When? Where? Ayla still hadn't returned from her fighting sisters, so he couldn't ask her.  
"Please, no …" Nino whispered before he could stop his mind to connect the evidences. A metaphorical landslide of a billion tiny details was about fall off soon.  
A month ago Alya had recorded Chat Noir during an interview. She had asked some questions of the survey but somehow their talk shifted to counter-measures for stressed people. The superhero boasted with his knowledge, explaining every detail of his theories with glee. Nino had stopped the video of his rambling mid-way, he wasn't into bragging, magical powers or not. Currently Adrien's words tinged in his ears. It might very well possible that Chat wished recognition, too.  
Nino's thoughts somersaulted. He almost felt nauseous. Why didn't he bail Alya? Oh, how he wished to read trough those damned 3000 pages with nothing more bother but if he should make a move on her. Having a thing for her specs seemed insignificant now.  
Nino held his head, pressing lightly to his temples. If he was right … woah … that would be a huge mess. He could sense the future headaches, always thinking ahead of every statement so that he wouldn't blabber out something stupid.

„Can I ask you something, Alya?" Nino's voice was kept low and sincere; the sound caught him unaware.  
She flopped beside him, sprawling out lazily. „Sure. Keep it short though, I want to continue my favorite movie of all time."  
„Had Marinette been akumatized once?"  
She shuffled through her memories. „No. She wasn't, but it never bothered me until now."  
"Adrien neither."  
Alya wanted to grab her ear bud but Nino snatched them away.  
"I think we've invaded their privacy enough." He couldn't explain the sudden urge but he wanted to protect his friends. They would never talk so freely if they didn't suspect eavesdropping. Nino stumbled on their secrets per accident, he had no idea how to deal with them, still, he would look after Adrien and Marinette.  
"I'm not stopping the stream." Alya noted. „Want some snacks? I brought up chocolate and cookies."  
„No thanks."  
Alya complained why he had to play with her mobile phone at this moment but Nino calmly opened the videos she had saved on it, scrolling through them before he started a specific one.  
Nino connected the phone with the headphones always resting around his neck. Their sound quality was way better than Alya's. No offence, unlike her he wanted to make music for a living one day. He closed his eyes, only focusing on Chat's words on ways to de-stress.  
Dang. The pattern. The melody. The intonation. There were mostly the same.  
There was no mistake.  
Suddenly Nino remembered Adrien's remark in class today: _‚We are as stressed as Ladybug and Chat Noir.'  
_ He glanced over to Alya who happily watched their private rom-com while munching cookies.  
There was no going back anymore.  
Nino exhaled the breath he had hold in. Everything was going to be alright, he thought. As long as he came upon a way to save his dearest friends from harm. Heck, he never expected that he – of all people in Paris - had to protect superheroes.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I love each and every of them! :)


	7. Chapter 7

7.

Adrien probably gazed a little bit too longing at his girlfriend but he couldn't help it. Marinette laughed and glowed and seemed utterly pleased – they were prohibited to bring anything inside but he wished to memorize this moment. Take a photo at least.  
His resolve to survive their superhero adventure unscathed multiplied ad infinitum. He would give his best, until every muscle ached and he couldn't think clear anymore so Marinette could maintain her happiness. Next year, in five years prior, as long as she allowed him to stay by her side.  
Not that he would ever leave her willingly. Life would have the hardest fight possible to claw him away from Marinette.  
"Jealous of your little brothers and sisters?" Her voice was clear and warm like a summer day, radiating delight.  
"A little. Seems like you don't have the time to pet your favorite cat." Adrien sent her the saddest look he could muster. She didn't have to know his glum determination.  
Marinette couldn't blame him for arranging this play date, could she? He tried to sneak away as often as possible. And he was best at sneaking. He perfected this skill the last three years gaining bits of freedom directly under his father's nose.  
"Oh, come here, kitty." Immediately he placed his head in Marinette's lap, rubbing his cheek against her belly. He loved her warmth; he loved her flowery honey scent. As long he could have those intimate moments he would endure any secret, any act and any hardship.  
Marinette fingers brushed through his strands, gently scratching his scalp and meeting all his favorite spots. Bluebell eyes met his gaze, unguarded and trusting. Adrien snuggled even closer.  
They were an item for three months now. To Adrien's dismay they're keeping it a secret – his love was keen on secrets.  
School was awkward every day, his desire touch her openly, to kiss and show all the other boys that she was his girlfriend only was killing him little by little. He trusted her, loved her wholly, nevertheless this act was frustrating. How he whished to fight off all those guys that eyed her or tried on hit on her!  
As a consequence he was avid for her touch the second they were alone.  
"Thanks to Alya's blog people caught the news of Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing", her serious voice from a couple of months ago echoed in Adrien's head. "We can't risk gathering unwanted attention if we drop our ordinary behavior. Let's take it slow in as Marinette and Adrien, okay?"  
Adrien closed his eyes, reveling the moment. Some kittens climbed his belly but he simply caressed them until they purred happily.  
Thanks to their long-term connections with their kwamis they shared traits of Plagg and Tikki more often. Adrien depended on his night vision and cat senses, Marinette lately started to feel and predict movements of crowds she was standing in, almost zipping through the tiniest spot. She started humming, content and peacefully as a ladybug that was hovering above a flower bed on a sunny day.  
"I love you, alley cat." She whispered, bending over him and kissing him on the nose.  
Adrien perked up to brush her lips. "I love you, too, M'lady."  
This was bliss.

* * *

"They KISSED!" Ayla chanted like crazy. "They kissed! They kissed! KISSED, Nino!"  
"Yeah …" Her OTP just went canon, but he was still struggling with his latest discovery. A kiss between Marinette and Adrien didn't change anything anymore. Though he was still unbelievable happy for them, buried deep down in his emotional chaos.  
Alya actually took a screenshot, still rejoicing their love. She developed strange longings lately.  
"OMG!" Ayla exclaimed. "My girl has so many questions to answer the moment she's out of this kitten box."  
Calmly Nino gathered the print-outs of Alya's survey and re-read Marinette's and Adrien's for a dozen's time. If those two answered honestly everything started to make sense. Both of them vanishing all the time, being tired and exhausted, their excuses … The longer he read their answers the more he wondered why the two of them didn't collapse at least once a week.  
Well, Marinette had been sleeping in all the time till Adrien started to pick her up, Nino remembered.  
Nevertheless the truth hit him straight into his gut. He had never bothered, never wondered, Nino feared he had never cared enough to see _it_. Could he label himself as Adrien's best friend and Marinette oldest one anymore?  
First of all he had to change. He was no help fighting akumas, but maybe in their civilian life. Adrien was balancing between supermodel, superhero and top student – Nino had to be more supportive from now on.  
"Do you think Adrien is a good kisser?" Alya couldn't sit still. "I bet he is. How far did they actually go down on the relationship road? What do you think, Nino? Are they past the kissing line?"  
Nino groaned at her remarks. Too much information!  
"Do you notice anything out of place?" He asked carefully.  
"They're the cutest thing I've ever seen!"  
"Yeah …"  
In the last six months Parisians often spotted the same posture on Ladybug and Chat Noir. Chat snuggling in his lady's lap as if nothing could disturb them while the female superhero stroked his hair. It was the most popular motive for photographers nowadays. Even some tourist visited Paris just for one good snap of them being lovey-dovey.  
Nino had to walk past a couple of shops selling a huge range of superhero pictures on his way to school; all those romantic ones were always set in the center of attention. He even considered given Alya a particular one as a present. Set into a nice frame it would have made her beat faster – Thankfully he had dropped the idea; this would have been awkward to no end.  
"Ughhh, the two don't resemble another pair … I mean … I don't know …"  
Alya sent him a questioning look. "What are you talking about? They're perfect for each other. I've never seen anything like this."  
Nino shook his head at her blindness. Alya would go nuts if she ever found out the truth.  
Still, it wasn't his place to let her in this secret identity hassle. Nino would gather his courage, confront Marinette and Adrien and ask permission.  
"If you want to fetch them straight after the recreational hour, we should get going." Suppressing a sigh he shut down the laptop, earning another punch from Alya. First step accomplished: Distract Alya from the footage before something worse happens.  
Now he needed to execute the rest of his plan.  
Second: Don't freak out if you meet Adrien and Marinette, they're still the same, just with a magical add-on.  
Third: Keep Alya in check before she plasters their identities all over the Ladyblog. Not that she would jeopardize their friendship, but if the shock of their beloved superheroes identities made her an akuma victim again, who knew what she would do? Run and tell that Hawkmoth?  
Nino was more grateful to be labeled as 'sky-blue' than ever.  
Nevertheless the third part was almost as difficult as fighting an akuma, he supposed. Probably as dangerous, too.

* * *

A/N: It's a bit shorter than the last one's but therefore chapter 8 is almost finished, too. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**8.**

Marinette never told Adrien that he purred like a cat in his sleep as soon as he felt safe and sound.  
"Adrien?", she whispered.  
She nudged him slightly but he didn't stir. Instead he wore the most calm and relaxed face Marinette had seen in weeks. Fatigue was taking its toll on her, too, but she would hold on a little longer. His subconsciousness would react the moment she moved all too fast.  
"His photo shot this morning was scheduled at six a.m." Plagg explained. He was still rolled up at Adrien's collar. „And it's going to be extended this evening because the female model couldn't get it right. She's all engrossed with him, just waiting to snog him, although their portraying a family theme."  
Marinette petted her little helper as well.  
Adrien mumbled something in his sleep before the purring continued. To her surprise the other kittens joined him. Fighting off the urge to sleep got almost impossible.  
"Did other wielders exist who were in a relationship?," Marinette asked yawning. She had no idea why her brain brought up this peculiar question now. She had often wondered about former wielders short after discovering their identities but never found the right time to inquire it further.  
"Creativity and destruction balance each other out." Tikki's voice sounded a bit muffled under the cushions. "Each of your predecessors had a relationship. They were best friends, twins …"  
"Those two were the most annoying." Plagg snorted. He eyed the kittens warily but none dared to approach him anymore.  
Tikki didn't share his opinion. "We've got quite a few who married along the route, too. It's not bound to happen that your powers are awakening in your youth, half of them were adults."  
"The others - we had to get them grow up." Despite his harsh words, he nuzzled Adrien who slept unaware of his kwami's fondness. "Kids are always trouble."  
"But they are worth the years and the affection." Tikki peeked out from her hide-out to send Marinette a smile before she shuffled back in.  
"So all of our predecessors revealed themselves to each other?"  
"Eventually."  
"If they lived long enough." Plagg's honest answer was appreciated though. "At least all my chosen one's longed to do so."  
Tikki let out a small sigh as a sad confirmation.  
Marinette tousled Adrien's hair with soft strokes. "Did they win against their opponents afterwards? I mean, it helped confiding in each other, didn't it?"  
Plagg avoided her gaze. "Eventually. After the biggest quarrels subsided."  
"Sharing the trouble made it easier." Tikki tried to sound cheerful but failed miserably.  
Marinette buried her fingers deeper into Adrien's locks. He had enough tasks to shoulder so that she tried not to burden him with this. "That's a nicer description for 'no', little one."  
She looked down at her peacefully sleeping boyfriend. She wouldn't change a thing of what happened in the last weeks between her and Adrien. Still, Hawkmoth had gotten more and more powerful. Truthfully Marinette dreaded the day Ladybug and Chat Noir would be defeated by a peculiar nasty akuma.

Half a year ago they had revealed their civilian forms accidentally. Marinette still knew the incident as if it had been yesterday. Fighting Glacier Snow had been a hassle, the man froze up everything within his reach. Marinette could handle rain and snow, even Stormy Weather had been a nice girl in comparison. Glacier Snow turned every street, spot, damn lamppost and rooftop in a glittering ice rink. Without magical spikes she and Chat suffered an awful lot of heavy falls before her Lucky Charm saved the day. Marinette remembered how she missed a rooftop once, crashing all tangled up into a balcony beneath her at full speed. Pain had exploded within her right knee, almost knocking her out of consciousness. Magic helped to stand up and finishing off Hawkmoth's minion, though.  
Limping Chat rushed to her side after the battle, but she had brushed him off, pretending everything was already healing and repairing itself. Plus, his idiotic puns made her want to escape: "What did the ice say to global warming?," Chat asked excessively cheerful. "You crack me up, bro."  
Today, Marinette smiled warmly at the memory. She had never thought that this joke would mark the beginning of her relationship, the last blow that would crack her defenses. A few blocks away Tikki had almost dissipated her magic as Ladybug stumbled and crashed into a chimney. Exhausted and racked with pain, Marinette feared to never reach home, apart from explaining the injury to her parents.  
Chat, as caring he was, had followed her. At first he scolded her for being reckless, but when her transformation went off, he suddenly went into nurse-mode, not even registering the green flash that indicated the end of his black suit. Until Marinette's shriek broke his concentration.  
Before she could understood the impact of his hidden identity, Plagg had to swallow some cheese whole and Chat reappeared; an unfazed superhero on a mission. He carried her to the next hospital, dropped the magic, called her home, soothed her as the pain was too overbearing to even stand inside the examiner's room. Even explained her injury was caused by an accident during the akuma attack as her frantic parents arrived.  
The next time Marinette woke up in her own bed, feeling warm and cozy despite the dull pain in her knee. This wouldn't have been very surprising till she discovered Adrien sleeping on her all too small chaise-lounge; curled up like a cat and with Tikki and Plagg resting on top of him. As if he had sensed her movement he raised his head. Blinking sleepily he asked with a worn out voice: "Everything okay, princess? Do you need more painkillers?"  
Her mind had gone to overdrive then, but Marinette swore afterwards to tell their children that she had fallen in love twice at this second. With both sides of him.

"I don't know how long I'll handle the pressure anymore." Marinette focused on Adrien's sleeping face but couldn't drive her sorrows away. "One day I'll doze off in mid-flight and crash into another chimney, I swear."  
Plagg snickered at her remark, which caused a furious whistling from Tikki.  
"Or the akuma will be so overpowered that the two of us can't stand a chance because we're utterly exhausted. Or I'll sign my next attendance sheet as Ladybug because I'm literally sleep walking at school."  
Sometimes her fatigue made it nearly impossible to concentrate, it even slowed her reflexes during a fight. Marinette tried to remember when she went to bed early last time or could sleep-in lazily, but she couldn't. Every calm evening was cramped with homework, studying, late night designing or livid gaming with Adrien in order to let off some steam.  
"Relax, girl, you're worrying too much. Comparing your situation to a life of a slave, a knight, or a lawyer in the bloody French revolution, you two are well off." Plagg groggily closed his eyes as if he was about to doze off like Adrien.  
"You're worrying not enough," Tikki replied immediately.  
"This break", Marinette tilted her head towards to the kittens, "is quite nice, but I doubt that the effects will last till the day after tomorrow. I fear that I've already reached my limit although Hawkmoth just started playing with us."  
Though it helped to voice her doubts. She had bottled up way to much in the last weeks.  
"There might be a solution ..." Tikki sounded a bit uncertain.  
"Yes, there might be." Plagg agreed unexpectedly. He looked up with his green eyes, focusing only on Marinette. "You have to ask Master Fu for help."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Master Fu can help to lessen your stress," Plagg continued.  
Tikki tagged along. "Yes, that's right. But I never heard that a great guardian would react on a request like this."  
"If he really guards them, he will. I'm not in swapping wielders this time. I'll stay right here."  
"Me neither, Plagg. Throwing in inexperienced ones all alone into this battle field would mean their death." Marinette stared in disbelief at her harsh words.  
"Then they should ask", Plagg hissed.  
"We could ..."  
"We're not in the position to claim requests, bug."  
„But I don't want to lose Marinette." Tikki cried out. „I don't!"

"What's happening?" Adrien stirred and raised himself up heavily. "What's this buzzing?"  
"I have no clue;" Marinette replied immediately. "We we're talking about ways to de-stress and then Tikki snapped. Sorry to wake you up, Chaton."  
"No biggie." Adrien scrambled to Tikki's hide-out and grabbed the little kwami like a toy before he resumed the spot beside Marinette. Cupping up Tikki in his hands Marinette could place her fingers on top of the little red head. They formed a warm den for their little bug. Even Plagg climbed down and embraced her with his tiny paws.  
"We're wearing thin, that's all. Tikki tends to overthink, her mind literally buzzes." Plagg summed up. "Therefore you two could ask Master Fu if he wants to hand out other Miraculous. But it is his decision whether you need help or you have grown enough to expand your team."  
Suddenly they remembered that Master Fu took care of the fox and bee Miraculous, watching over the sleeping kwamis. Marinette wondered how fighting an akuma would turn out with doubled strength.  
Luckily the bustling subsided, leaving a bashful glowing bug in their care.  
"We could activate more heroes?", Adrien asked dumbfounded. "Like a Miraculous Squad?"  
"Miraculous League," Marinette suggested.  
"Les Batailleurs Miraculous."  
"That sounds odd."  
Adrien grinned. "I've toyed with your nickname, LB. I'm vetoing Avengers though."

Before they could agree on a team name a sharp knock sounded from the door. "You're time is up, children. You can go home now, but please sent in a report till Monday how you could reduce your stress in the future."  
"By loving this cat", Adrien whispered into Marinette's ear which sent her blushing beautifully.  
They gathered their things while he placed both kwamis in the pocket of his hoodie, tucking them away safely since Tikki refused to let go of Plagg. But it was quite a task to slip out of the door without a kitten hanging at their calves. Moreover Adrien almost went back in as he heard the heart-broken meows. The little ones were missing them already, he couldn't leave them alone now, could he?  
Cat senses be damned, everything twitched and urged that he turned around, rushing back to their balls of fur.  
"We really have to leave", Marinette stated. "Gosh, I miss them. How long has it been? Ten seconds?"  
Adrien understood her better then he dared to mention. Both of them stared longingly at the closed door of their haven.  
"One day let's have lots of kittens, bugaboo." He declared.  
Something inside Marinette combusted, leaving her at a loss for words. Only the kwamis wiggled in his pocket as if they we're fighting for the right to speak first.  
"Oh, please no, I'm a deity and not a cat that has to share its home." Apparently Plagg won.  
Tikki giggled. "I'm positive Adrien meant this in a more human way."  
"Tikki!", both teens shouted embarrassed.  
"Team Miraculous needs more members," Tikki quipped as they changed back into their street clothes.  
Out of reach of the security cameras both kwamis zipped through the air, settling down in Adrien's hood. They eyes were barely above the rim, no one should notice them.  
"How about having a cat of our own?" Adrien placed a soft kiss on Marinette's hair, drawing her close. "I could get used to play with yarn all day and have a nice cat nap now and then."  
"Are you asking to move in with me?" She looked up to him, cheeks rosy from, eyes twinkling like stars. He did push all her buttons today.  
Adrien smiled at her enthusiasm. "There's no rush, but … maybe? After school?"  
Marinette decided to dodge the question and picked up her bag instead. "Plagg would leave for good."  
"No, he likes you more than me. He would be offended if I brought home a dog." Adrien took a last glance at the door before put his sneaker on.  
"A lowly cat. Tsk!" The kwami hissed inside Adrien's hoodie and Tikki giggled softly. "It would be my personal slave."

Alya paced back and forth in front of the changing room, eagerly waiting for their friends to show up. Still Nino couldn't believe that they watched and listened almost an hour long to their friends talking, behaving like the biggest stalkers in the whole world.  
He was super super super nervous how the next minutes proceed but he forced himself to calm down. It was not for nothing that this old man taught him how to relax with simple breathing exercises.  
"Plagg would leave for good." Nino's head perked up at the sound of Marinette's voice.  
"No, he likes you more than me." Adrien answered. "He would be offended if I brought home a dog."  
The door knob turned and for a split second Nino considered to grab Alya and run. Or shut her up by kissing her senseless. Damn, he wasn't that experienced in kissing to make this work.  
Now or never - he gathered the last bit of his courage and ...

Adrien stopped in his tracks as they spotted Alya and Nino right behind the door. Fortunately he didn't interlock their fingers so they should be any hint of their relationship.  
"Hi." He offered a smile. "Did you wait for us?"  
"Um ... more or less", Nino muttered.  
Marinette joined Adrien's jovial greeting. "That's wonderful, let us go to a café before his late photoshot starts. I'm starving ..."  
"… for coffee." Adrien continued teasingly which earned him a stern look. He took a step back as Marinette tried to nudge him playfully, the move allowed their kwamis to settle deeper into the hood, too.  
"Yeah, that sounds ... um ... great. Let's go." Adrien didn't miss the almost desperate glance of his friend that shifted between all those present. His instinct sent out an amber light, though he couldn't place it right.  
Till Alya extended her hand pointing directly at Marinette. Her facial expression went from attentive to pure evil within seconds. "Screw this shit!", she exclaimed.  
Adrien's eyes widened and Marinette dug her fingers into his sleeve. At first glance Alya didn't seem to be cursed by a butterfly; nevertheless he slung an arm protectively around his girlfriend.  
"You've been caught, girl! I know all of your secrets and I'll shout them from the Parisian rooftops as loud as I can." Nino tried to stop Alya but she brushed him off effortlessly and raised her furious voice a bit further. "Because you've been lying to me all this time!" 

... and Nino's ordinary life came to an screeching halt.

* * *

For those who don't speak French: Les Batailleurs Miraculous = Miraculous Fighters  
I really like the sound of this combination somehow. ^^


	9. Chapter 9

**9.**

They were screwed. Totally screwed.  
"Goddamit, Alya!", Nino exclaimed. "Have you gone crazy?"  
Did she know? But played along as if she didn't have a clue about their friend's superhero double life? The thought hurt Nino. Did she deliberately make him look like a fool? Because he was not smart enough or she didn't want to share her latest scoop with him?  
No.  
Nino shook his head.  
He had to concentrate.  
Never mind feeling small and weak.  
Never mind he couldn't protect his friends at the first opportunity.  
He wished to rewind time, he wished to bang his head against the nearest wall. He really wished he had kissed Alya senseless two minutes ago.  
But first things first.  
Because Marinette looked like Alya's words made her worst nightmares come true.

As Adrien tried to process Alya's threat Marinette had already freaked out. Her breath hitched, her face turned white and something in her snapped, taking the ability to speak with her. Adrien ushered her close, but his girlfriend went stiff, lifeless eyes staring into the dark void of her fears. Each ragged breath hurt him like the stab of a knife. Right into his heart.  
Dumping his civilian role without second thought Adrien let his true personality take over. Besides, he has dealt as Chat with a lot of dangerous situations. Marinette's safety always was his first objective, now and then.  
"Grab Ayla and make her shut up, Nino." He frantically searched for a hide-out, trying to calm Marinette down at the same time. Surprising Ayla and Nino he picked her up without effort and carried her to nearest school's bathrooms. Their friends followed suit as Adrien sprinted down the hall, Marinette clinging to him as he was her lifeline. With a kick he opened the door, silently thanking her luck that there was no teacher or fellow students around.  
"Lock it." Nino followed the sharp command immediately.  
He crouched down, pulling Marinette in his lap but her hyperventilating even sped up.  
„It's alright, princess." Adrien whispered into her messy hair. "I'm here, Plagg and Tikki, too. Nothing bad happened. You are safe. You are safe, princess."  
Adrien pushed back his own mental break down as Marinette almost suffocated.

Nino still held Alya's hand as they watched the pair in a mixture of confusion and pure shock.  
In some small of his mind he was rejoicing over older facts: Ayla made him look at tons of photos from Ladybug and Chat Noir – he knew that pose by heart, too. His best friends were secretly dating superheroes.  
Nino bit his lip, preventing a shout of utter glee. He had been totally right! Holy fuck!  
The rest of him desperately wanted to clear up this huge mess. Worry seemed to cloud Alya's mind, Nino though needed to think. Quick.  
Deciding that Adrien had to take care of his girlfriend Nino hold Alya's hand tighter and set his other one over her lips. She had done enough damage by blurting out her threat.  
"What was that?", he whispered. He shook her a little as if he could cast off every other stupid idea with this.  
Alya was acting way to confused. Hadn't she been aware of Marinette's and Adrien's double lifes?  
„Rushing headfirst into tragedy like there was no tomorrow, really caring of you," he scolded her but kept his voice down. "It's been years since Nette's last anxiety attack."  
Her outraged look bore into his as if she understood his implications at last.  
Nino gazed back at Adrien who was reassuring Marinette a safe place without second thought.  
"You can't count this as a silly joke, Alya. What were you thinking?"  
If he had to choose between the girl he liked, the sister he never had and the dork he loved like a brother ... well ... it frightened him how easily he could stand up against Alya. By all means she had gone too far this time. "Although you read her dreadful survey, you did attack her on the spot." He didn't chose this pun intentionally, but it fit. "Weren't you swooning and cheering for them like what? Twenty minutes ago? Why did you do that? She's your best friend, girl!"  
Alya's shoulders slumped down and she did cast her eyes down as Nino talked some sense into her. Hopefully he did. Marinette's hitched breaths wrenched at his heart more than anything.

"Plagg." Nino turned to Adrien, curiosity getting the better of him. They'd rushed into the bathroom without anyone following them ...  
Nino let out a startled sound as a black fuzzy dot flew out from Adrien's hoodie and zipped through the air; checking if the stalls were empty. Incredibly fast that Plagg thing rocketed back to Marinette and landed in her lap. She probably strangled him, it, whatever it was, but Plagg started rubbing her fingers gently with its head.  
"Breathe, princess." Adrien stroked her back soothingly. "Slowly, yes. One breath after another." Marinette choked out some meaningless syllables, gulping for air as if she was drowning. "Remember what we talked a few minutes ago? A cat of our own. A tiny ball of fur. I would love a white Persian cat, you probably a Siamese. Picture it playing with your dozens of yarn till it's all tangled up. It chases Plagg around the house because he's as grouchy as ever."  
The black dot let out a short hiss.  
Beside Nino Alya wriggled out of his firm grip. Tears were threatening to roll down her cheeks, but she suppressed a sob.  
"And when the freshly baked cookies have cooled down", a tiny voice joined the conversation as a red dot flew out of nowhere, "it will sleep peacefully in your lap. Like a warm breathing cushion."  
"But that's my place." Adrien pouted. "No fair."  
Giggling the red dot settled in Adrien's hair.  
Alya stared at the scene in disbelief at those little Nino-didn't-knew-what, but kept her distance. He released her lips and seized the moment to snatch Alya's phone out of her coat pocket. He would return it to her later, if they evaded the most fatal disaster.  
When did his friends change so much without anyone noticing?, Nino asked himself. Ladybug and Chat Noir were protecting Paris for three years now, so Adrien and Marinette started fighting monsters at the age of thirteen. They had been kids, then. Nino remembered his silly worries at this age. Did he pick the right clothes to impress? Was it weird to love music as much as he did? Today, he was still struggling to distinguish the carefree behavior he wanted to keep and the adult he aimed to be. But simply watching Adrien and Marinette, Ladybug and Chat Noir, a unity as strong as a fortress ... everything he did in the last years seemed in vain.  
At the same time it showed him things to strive for:  
A strong connection.  
A partner to love and trust.  
A task to prove that he wasn't a fleeting existence among thousands of other young Parisians.  
Sighing Nino shook his head. All that superhero stuff messed up his rational thinking. What had gotten into him?  
He glanced at Alya who was still lost in her own thoughts, eyes wide in shock. A partner to love and trust would be nice, though.  
Probably an eternity or maybe five minutes later, he couldn't tell apart, Marinette whispered: "Thank you, kitty."  
A wave of relief washed over Nino as Marinette's panic subdued. He suddenly remembered he had to ease the tension that built up in the bathroom before they would be suffocating again.  
Step by step Nino coaxed Alya to approach the couple, finally letting her kneel down in front of Marinette. "Someone wants to apologize."

Adrien looked up as Alya slumped down in front of them. He suppressed his first instinct to defend Marinette from harm, after all Alya was a friend. But Marinette tightened the grip around Plagg and shifted herself in an almost upright position. The strength of his lady never ceased to amaze him.  
"I didn't want to trigger a panic attack," Alya started.  
At the same time Marinette blurred out: "I didn't lie on purpose, please, you have to keep it a secret that I'm Ladybug."  
"I just wanted to tease you because of your secret relationship with Adri…" Alya blinked at her. "What did you say?"  
Adrien gaped at Alya's confession. She hadn't suspected that they were ... There was no way to fix their slip, was there?  
"I'm Ladybug!" Marinette wailed, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry! I know I'm a disappointment and ..."  
Adrien took a metal note to repeat his 'You're awesome'-speech on the girl in his arms. Plus, they had to deal with damage control before Alya did something stupid again. Maybe he should nick her phone for now. And the bag with her laptop and ...  
"Fuck!" At last Alya put the pieces of information together. "I've threatened you to tell whole Paris of your secret! I'm the worst!"  
Alya snatched her best friend out of Adrien's hold and embraced her as tight she could.  
"Sorry, sorry, sorry." Marinette was buried into Alya's chest, crying out all pent-up emotions at once. Now and then she hiccupped in a way that raised Adrien's urge to swoop her up and flee to their secret happy place. But he stood up and gave the girls the space and time they needed to reconcile. The superheroes had suffered from similar break-downs after a couple of near-death-moments. He wouldn't rush anything now.  
Surprisingly calm he messaged Natalie informing her of Marinette's attack and that he would make sure to take her home first. Seconds later Natalie confirmed the postponing of his photo shoot, whishing that Marinette would be better soon.  
Then he realized his mistake.  
Nino.  
Nino was still there. Watching from the side line, uncertain how to react to Marinette's outburst.  
Suddenly Tikki buried herself deeper in his hair, tugging at the blond locks painfully, as if she had the same thoughts. His best friend had seen kwamis floating around. Heard them speaking.  
It was too late for creating an extraordinary brilliant excuse, was it?  
Nino knew. Nino knew it all. There was no other way explaining why he would stay so composed otherwise. Though 'all' was a dreadful vast description.  
"Alya hacked into the security system and we watched longer than we should have," Nino explained, not daring to look Adrien in the eye. "And listened to some surprising ... well ... um ... things."  
"Things?"  
An unknown nervousness crept up from his stomach, making Adrien's heart beat sped up. He could face akumas, dangerous photographers and even some aimless arguments with his father but the thought that Nino knew his secret was nerve-racking. Was Nino furious because he had lied all this time? Would he wish to end their friendship because Chat Noir was too overbearing?  
Had Marinette felt like trapped into a hurricane of emotions, too?  
"Um, yes. You shoved it accidentally in our faces." Nino shuffled his feet, still avoiding his gaze. "But Alya didn't get the clues like I did ... really I was not trying to ... um you know ... in the end everything went down the drain. What a -"  
"Cat-astrophe?"  
A smile tugged at Nino's lip. "Yeah, could say so."  
Buried in Adrien's hair Tikki started humming which calmed him down bit by bit. Nino was aware of his real nature and the juggling act between being professional and showing his true self. Hopefully this did count for his superhero persona, too.  
"Chat Noir, at your service." Adrien winked in his typical manner, playfully showing his signature move. Suddenly Nino lit up in excitement.

But he didn't have the time to reply. "Oh my GOD!" Alya's head shot up, too. "I'm worse than worse! "  
"It's okay", Marinette offered a weak smile. "Nothing really bad happened."  
"I turned a blind eye to ... everything!" A second series of crying started leaving the boys confused. "For three years I've hunted your identities and risked your lives."  
Adrien shrugged.  
Nino let out a relieved sigh.  
Marinette grasped Alya's hands and tried to comfort her.  
"Yes, I wanted to mess a bit with you sickening sweet lovebirds. How long have been marveling at your dream boy without gathering the courage to even speak with Adrien? And BANG you're all cozy and comfy and snuggling and kissing!"  
Adrien smiled at the memory how Marinette confessed her long-term crush to him.  
"But I totally honestly definitely swear I just wanted to help you with my survey. You're fighting so hard and everyone believes that you'll can do anything, but at the end of the day you're just human, too, so I thought, you need any support you could get and ... It's not fair that you have to defend yourself all alone. How did you put up with me anyway?"  
Marinette pulled the rambling girl into a hug but Alya's words didn't stop as if the discovery of their superhero lives short-circuited her system. in overdrive.

Adrien would convince her later that neither Marinette nor he hated Alya for her guts. She was a nerve-wrecking reporter, also built up their reputation as superheroes. For now he focused on Nino.  
Trying to ignore the crying for the time being he turned to his friend. "Got any questions?"  
"I guess but … later." They stood side by side in silence waiting for their girls to calm down. Plagg hovered over to them eying Nino critically. With a long hiss he settled on Adrien's shoulder, none of the boys commented this reaction.  
"That's Plagg and I'm Tikki" the kwami explained cheerfully, still being cradled into Adrien's hair. "We're guiding our wielders and made of pure magic were several thousand years old …."  
"… so don't mess with us or our kids." Plagg growled.  
"It's nice that you're at least some kind of cat," Nino joked making Plagg bare his fangs.  
Adrien scratched the spot between his ears until he settled into the crook of his neck. It had taken him months to realize how lazy but still protective his demi-god was. Though his antics could chase away Nino who curiously watched the magical creatures.  
Still no questions. No reproaches. Not even an angry glare. Adrien's dad would have grounded him by now. Or even locked him inside the basement till he was twenty-one and absolutely submissive.  
Clear the misunderstanding, Adrien encouraged himself before the golden opportunity slipped away. He loved Nino like family, if he didn't mess up, Nino wouldn't be caught up between his supermodel and superhero life anymore.  
Adrien steeled his resolve and settled for: "Sorry for not telling the truth, bro."  
"Nah." Nino tapped Adrien's arm lightly carefully avoiding Plagg. "It's pretty self-explanatory why you lied."  
"Thank you." Adrien eased his shoulders and tried to loosen the tension. "Are you sure you're not mad at me? I mean …" He pointed at the spot where Alya dried Marinette's tears with a tissue, a soft giggle escaping her lips while her best friend told her something rapidly. Well, at least all that crying also reduced stress like some crazy messed-up catharsis.  
Suddenly Nino changed the topic of their conversation. "Can you do those back flips and parcours stuff as Adrien, too?"  
He nodded.  
His friend beamed at him. "Then teach me some cool stunts and we're good."

* * *

A/N: Almost done with this little story. :)


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. A cold gave me headaches for days so I couldn't finish this chapter as fast as I wanted and I'm still worried if I could done it better ..._

 **10.**

One day later Alya couldn't believe yet what happened. But she was beginning to grasp on the whole story of Marinette being Ladybug. Somehow she would wrap her mind around this crazy idea, even if her life had been turned upside-down because of this. Everything she had believed was different now, maybe better - hopefully better than before.  
Alya had always wanted to meet Ladybug in person, the amazing girl behind the mask. But she had never bothered what she would do after revealing her identity. Not only once.  
But she already knew the amazing girl behind Ladybug, quiet well, she would say. But now a billion of new questions, tasks and challenges exploded in her mind, making her head swim with thoughts and her fingers tingle with anticipation.  
She had so many unexpected things to do now!  
Besides helping their best friends by using her Ladyblog as a weapon and a shield at the same time. She could influence the Parisians opinions easily, nothing would stop her except her conscience.  
And after this she would face the almost impossible truth of Adrien being Chat. She'd never anticipated that he hid such a energetic and jovial side. Well, considering his ramrod dad, she would have hidden it as well.  
"Good evening, you two."  
Alya jerked at the voice. She had completely forgotten the place and the time.  
They had been waiting at the front door of the ever so huge and cold Agreste Mansion. As Alya tried to calm down her ever so busy mind, Marinette waited patiently for the security cameras to check on them.  
„Hello, Natalie. Those are for you." Marinette greeted Adrien's manager with a warm smile and gave her a basket of chocolate cookies. "I'm grateful that you always watch over us."  
"Adrien is getting better with the chocolate ornaments, isn't he?" She laughed, a sound Alya never thought Natalie was capable to make.  
"He's trying hard to please you."  
Flustered the manager let them through the house although Marinette clearly knew her way around. Alya would have been lost though, she'd never invaded it further than the front hall.  
„You don't have to worry about being disturbed," Natalie explained. „Mr. Agreste is out of town this weekend."  
As usual, Alya scoffed silently.  
„Thanks, Natalie."  
Alya wanted to ask all her questions at once but she pulled herself together. The way Marinette carried herself and easily chatted with Adrien's manager showed clearly that she wasn't a stranger to these situations.  
Natalie waved them goodbye. "Don't worry you can play as loud and as long as you want. I've managed to clear his plans after finishing that photoshoot for a family brand." Marinette knitted her brows as if the manager brought up an unpleasant topic but stayed silent. "Have a nice weekend, kids."  
Still, so many unanswered questions to solve.

Alya wondered how often she had visited Adrien's room in the last years. Chamber would describe it better. It was still overbearing, grand and full of luxury some teenagers dreamt of. Nevertheless Adrien had always fled from here.  
Just this once they were meeting at this spot, since Marinette's parents would definitely sneak up to them and take a look at the teenagers. They had to avoid two accidental reveals in a row.  
Today she noticed a bunch of changes inside the prince's chamber as if Adrien forgot to tidy up before his friends arrived. Or as if he didn't bother to hide them anymore. A pink controller rested next to Adrien's black one, obviously Marinette's. Cushions were spread everywhere, in front of the glass wall, on his desk - each had a small dent in the middle, so Alya figured Plagg loved to take a cat nap on them. Tikki flew out of Marinette's bag and settled on the cushion in front of the window where the last rays of sunlight colored everything in a warm orange shade.  
A stack of designing books lazily draped over the coffee table which Marinette closed carefully before packing them away.  
Her friend had already left her traces.  
„What is this?" Alya pointed at one end of the room where boxes and envelopes stacked up.  
„I'm calling it fabric dump." Marinette laughed. „These are samples of clothing companies which were send to Adrien last month. We're figuring out what to do with them, although he insists that I take the loose fabric for my next designs."  
"Last month?"  
"Yes, it tends to pile up by itself. He's is obliged to wear some of them because of his contracts but the bigger part goes to charity organizations."  
Suddenly she remembered all those charity stuff Chat Noir liked to aid. He had never made a big deal of it, as if the press shouldn't take a whiff of it.  
"Is it okay to be here without Adrien?" Alya looked around warily. Either the guy was showering or if he had to jog from the other side of the mansion first.  
"Sure. He'll show up any minute." Marinette wandered off to the huge desk that occupied almost a complete wall. Since when did he expanded his equipment so much? Despite all the fancy stuff Adrien's work station looked like a base of operations. Like some futuristic bat cave ... Cat cave ... Cat condo? She had to ask him if their superhero base carried a specific name.  
With a gentle touch the screens woke up and Adrien's system set into motion. At first it looked like a ordinary computer, a bit untidy, icons for data and apps everywhere, until Marinette opened an app with an icon that was shaped as a black cat.  
Then the real superhero operation system popped up.  
Afterwards Alya couldn't remember how she teleported into the next chair. Instead she took a couple of minutes to gaze in amazement.  
At first Alya had shrugged off Marinette's and the kwami's explanations. Magic as old as time, the epic struggle for the good's triumph? She was still assimilating this. However, this computer in front of her made absolute sense, analysis of akumas, patrol schedules, records of Alya-didn't-know-what and new tabs popping up regularly with the latest Parisian news - this was her field of work.  
The moment Alya tried to touch the screens the image a of a lock appeared symbolizing that she had been shut out.  
„Adrien made you an account for now, I'll show you how to log in." Marinette shook her head. „Sorry about this, but he doesn't want to give you administrative power over his brain child."  
"It's alright, I've really fucked up." Alya strechted her fingers. "But I'm smarter than him. He's going to beg me that I'll work with him together. For now I'll gladly use his data center to evaluate my survey. Just wait and see!"  
Marinette smiled at her enthusiasm.

As a millionth times before Adrien swung through the bedroom window that he had left open on purpose. Landing on his feet with cat-grace Plagg didn't wait any longer to release his transformation.  
With a yelp Nino crashed into the floor. "This was amazing!," he yelled. "Freaking amazing!"  
Adrien helped his friend stand up but Nino's knee wobbled at first so he took him right the sofa where Marinette was sketching.  
Plagg settled right beside Tikki muttering something about exhaustion.  
At last Adrien discovered Alya working aptly with his computers. Instead of Marinette who dropped her sketch book the moment she saw his green magic flash, Alya didn't flinch at their arrival. Lady Wifi lived up to her reputation.  
"Can we race to school like this every day?" Nino asked.  
"I'm afraid, not." Besides promising to teach his friend some basic stuff Adrien fetched him at the end of his evening patrol. Still transformed he had taken the aerial route back home; carrying Nino on his back. His friend had clutched for his dear life at first but yelled and screamed with glee soon.  
"Maybe on special occasions?" Nino didn't give up easily.  
Adrien laughed at this suggestion.  
Nino sat up straight. "Maybe on my birthday, bro? Please say yes, that would be awesome."  
"Sure. Your birthday is fine." He glanced to Marinette who nodded encouragingly. "Or even a bigger tour, we could sneak into La Machine."  
"Yessss!" Nino threw a fist into the air. Clubbing would never be the same with Chat Noir at his side, especially since supermodel Adrien had to be careful which gossip reporter could track him.  
Adrien lend down to his girlfriend grazing her lips with a soft peck. Showing their relationship more openly was definitely the best that yesterday's hassle brought up.  
"I'm a bit jealous right now." Alya turned from her work to face them, but she didn't catch Nino's tinged cheeks since he related her statement to the little hello kiss. "You're computer efficiency is like a wish come true."  
"Figures."  
Before she could explain her results, another voice interrupted them.  
"Good evening, my dear children."

"Master Fu!" All four teenagers exclaimed surprised.  
All four of them exchanged a even more surprised look afterwards. Only Master Fu chuckled but no one else understood the joke.  
Marinette tapped Adrien's arm lightly, as if she wanted to ask how Fu sneaked into the Mansion without Natalie noticing.  
He shook his shoulders ever so slightly: No idea.  
Though, they were speaking of Master Fu who managed to pop up everywhere unseen.  
"You two know the Great Guardian?" Tikki and Plagg hovered over, greeting the old men with a short nudge.  
"Yes!" Alya sprung from her seat. „He often shows up when Ladybug and Chat Noir are fighting akumas. He's one of the spectators who joined me since the first days and helped me quite a bit. He improved my skills to record from tricky angles."  
"And how to get access to those angles." Master Fu continued as he approached the superhero duo.  
Adrien and Marinette took a step back as their friends greeted the old man affectionately. They didn't voice a single thought which raced through their minds. Marinette laced their fingers together and shuffled close. She was as nervous as never before; Adrien could feel her bumping pulse through her finger tips.  
His own heart seemed to barely avoid a stroke.  
Master Fu had never shown up at their homes before, but neither of them wanted to know the reason behind this sudden change of behavior.  
"That's funny." Nino bowed respectfully. "My mom sent me to his shop after being akumatized. Master Fu showed me how to meditate and stay calm due to right breathing. I'm a regular since then."  
The Great Guardian smiled mischievously.  
It was Alya who noticed the kwamis floating around openly. A little too late, but this time before Nino. "Oh ... Oh! You're in this, too!"  
„Rather he belongs to us," Plagg grumbled.  
The two superheroes still watched from the sideline. Unable to let go their hands, unwilling to take a step further ... Master Fu wouldn't scold them for revealing them in front of civilians, would he?  
Adrien considered to run but Fu was the only teacher he had to confront head-on. Chosen one's weren't allowed to bolt.  
"We deeply apologize our mistake," Marinette began, already made up her decision.  
Adrien followed his lady without second thought.  
"Yes, we didn't break the rules on purpose, Great Guardian." He addressed him in his formal manner so that Nino and Alya would notice.  
Adrien couldn't see his friend's reactions as he casted down his eyes ruefully. Marinette still held his hand, fingers tightly clenched, whatever punishment they had to endure they wouldn't let go of each other.  
"Look at me, you two." Master Fu's face wasn't portraying any emotion. Though Adrien had never seen him mad, he always seemed slightly amused, a bit shrewd sometimes.  
"Where's Wayzz?" Plagg demanded, unaware of the frizzling tension. Probably he didn't care, since he settled on Adrien's shoulder fully relaxed.  
„Why didn't he accompany you, Guardian?", Tikki chirped.  
Master Fu still avoided to answer.  
"What's happening here?" Nino whispered but Alya elbowed him with more force than necessary.

Seconds stretched to minutes but Adrien refused to yield under the silence which weighed down heavily on him. Time seemed to forget to flow as the superheroes waited for their judgment.  
Only Alya and Nino shifted uncomfortably, uncertain whether they should stay or leave the room.  
"Breaking the first rule is going to be punished with giving up his or her Miraculous." Finally Master Fu crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
Adrien broke out in cold sweat. Marinette let out a small squeak. It was her fault misinterpreting Alya's threat.  
"It's not their fault!", Alya shouted immediately as if she had read this thoughts.  
At her outburst Master Fu sent her a small smile.  
"Calm down. I'm not here today to retrieve your Miraculous, children." He chuckled lighted. "It's still too easy to screw you."  
Plagg's snicker echoed through his thoughts as Adrien almost broke down, but somehow the connection to Marinette held him upright. They shared a quick glance, relief was washing over her face and a hint of boldness flickered in the cobalt blue eyes he loved.  
She was up to something.  
Watch out! His princess was definitely scheming a plan.  
"You two wanted to make a request, didn't you?" Master Fu continued.  
"Yes!" Marinette almost shouted. "Oh, yes, please!"  
Adrien nodded vigorously, catching up immediately. "We greatly need assistance and more support in combat."  
The two of them waited intently, gauging Fu's reaction.  
Alya couldn't stifle a gasp as she understood the full meaning of their words. She witnessed the request of adding new heroes. Probably she would be one of the first persons to know their names and abilities ... Adrien easily imagined how she already planned a dozen articles for her Ladyblog.  
Only Nino was distracted by Tikki who decided to settle on his palm for now.  
Master Fu took a deep breath. "Well, given the situation ... your wish is being granted."  
Adrien didn't believe his ears at first, until he heard Marinette's gleeful squeal.  
"I've waited patiently for the day you trusted someone enough to share your secrets. Aside from your other half which took long enough, children." Master Fu fetched out two wooden-boxes as he suddenly shifted to Alya and Nino. "I've waited patiently as well for two supporters who were willing to protect you even without magical enforcement."  
It was Marinette who lunged herself at the old man crying and laughing at the same time. Adrien instead slung his arms around Nino and Alya from behind, pulling them close.  
"This is going to be so much fun!"  
Once again Nino and Ayla were loss for words and didn't realized the situation at all.  
"Welcome to our team." Fu presented each of them a box which magically sprung open. "Jade Turtle and Red Renarde."


	11. Chapter 11 - Last Chapter

11.

 _Almost 3,5k ... phew ... this last part was so much fun to write. :)_

* * *

Wednesday morning arrived in a flash.  
Marinette never imagined that having more tasks could reduce stress, too. Or maybe it was the company she kept since last Friday. She almost skipped to school, she would swear some astonished classmates turned their heads in her direction.  
First, she didn't oversleep. Second Adrien didn't drag her out of the bakery so that they would be on time. Third she had slept for ten hours without break. Ten! She had doubled, almost tripled her hours without problem for once.  
The air was brisk, a bit cold, but she liked it that way. The early sunshine combined with a nice chill reminded her of her races over the Parisian rooftops. Marinette took the stairs to the front door, two steps at a time, her feet almost dancing to a tune only she could hear.  
Inside her purse Tikki chimed because of her cheerfulness.  
A good night's sleep could change the whole world!  
Yet Marinette stopped as she crossed the threshold to her classroom, taking in the view. Half of the seats were still empty. Nathanael was sketching in the back row and ducked his head flustered the second Marinette waved to him. Sometimes she missed the old days of her collège, her group of classmates was partly the same, but the friendships shifted and changed during the years.  
Except Chloé. She would never get rid of her until Marinette finally attended a design school.

"Good morning." Adrien who already sat on his desk greeted her enthusiastically. He had spotted the bags in her hands at first glance. This or his cat senses perceived the delicious scent.  
Marinette sauntered over to their seats and dropped her bag carefully. She wished to kiss him or hug him as a hello but her secret relationship forbid this kind of touches, yet. So, she settled for smile instead.  
Adrien still looked tired but gorgeous no less. Black jeans hugged his hips and he had slipped on a bluish gray shirt and a comfortable whine red botton-up-shirt. Topped off by a beanie in the same color which held back his tousled blond locks. Autumn theme in perfection, Marinette swooned and tried not to look him up too long. He was a natural with colors. This or all the years stuck up at fashion shows drilled the knowledge into his head.  
The thread of her lucky charm Marinette gave him ages ago had already withered. But she made him a necklace out of the jade center piece which dangled now around his neck. For a second Marinette didn't know what dazzled her more. The shiny jade as a proof of affection or Adrien's sparkling green eyes in the early morning sunshine.  
"How come we never realized that Marinette virtually undresses Adrien with her looks?", Nino interrupted her with a barking laugh.  
"Because she's doing it for years and years, it's nothing new to me", Alya answered without hesitation. "How come I never noticed that they wear matching things?"  
Marinette took of her own rosé-colored beanie which was made of the same pattern as Adrien's while her boyfriend tried to hide his cheeky grin.  
"We've always distracted you", Marinette answered honestly and looked more precisely at her friends.  
Alya barely sat upright in her chair. A load yawn escaped her lips and she continued to rub her eyes that had dark bags underneath. Her hair had been curly and hard to tame ever since but today it looked like Alya had been hit by a storm. Plus she was too tired to fix the messy cluster on her head.  
Marinette wondered if Nino had worn the same clothes the day before. His cap shielded parts of his face but Marinette perceived the small scratches nevertheless. Red blotches had grown across his hands, as if he had been slapped playfully too many times and a dark bruise blossomed right under the rim of his sleeve.  
She turned to Adrien handing him out a steaming cup of coffee. „You shouldn't break them in the first week."  
Alya groaned, resting her head in her palm. Nino seemed to have fallen asleep on his desk.  
"I'm not." Adrien pouted adoringly. "I'm testing their limits so that I can figure out where to start from."  
Marinette placed a croissant and coffee in front of Alya and Nino. The sugary scent combined with caffeine somehow woke them up.  
"He's killing us ..." Alya complained while taking a sip. "I've never been exhausted like this."  
Nino pulled off a piece of his croissant and sneakily stuffed it into his jacket pocket where Wayzz rested. Despite being a turtle he loved the essence of traditional French cuisine: butter. The more butter something contained the better.  
Three of four kwamis would be demanding food of her family's bakery soon. Trixx was still teasing Alya that she liked fat Parisian pigeons most.  
For an instance Marinette remembered that Master Fu had given up his Miraculous for Nino. As his successor Nino would have to train far harder than Alya, there was no way to back out of this. The current Great Guardian was still attending his duties but one day Nino would take over his place. This idea was as frightening as amazing.

Adrien and Alya continued nagging when the rest of their class settled into their seats.  
"Your arms are made of pudding."  
"They're not. You're just accustomed to Marinette who is unusually strong."  
Marinette giggled at her retort. She couldn't deny this fact.  
"Hey, don't insult my girl." Nino lifted his head slowly. "She's the most luscious fox in Paris."  
Alya flamed up as red as her superhero costume.  
"For real, you aren't allowed to complain." Adrien continued like nothing had happened. "We had to learn by trial and error."  
"An awful lot of errors", Marinette added and offered her boyfriend a piece of her croissant. Their fingers lingered a second too long before Adrien snatched it away. "And we're on our own. At the very beginning we had to struggle by ourselves."  
"So, please trust our experience," Adrien explained. "You're lucky to walk down the easy path!"  
"Easy ...", Nino and Alya sighed in sync.  
The rest of the students gathered in class, greeting more or less joyful each other. "What are you up for?" Ivan watched the battered appearance of the newest superheroes.  
"Parcours." Marinette made this white lie up easily. "Adrien showed those two parcours as a new hobby. But apparently all their manage is to crash into solid objects and walls."  
Nino hung his head in defeat and Alya sent her an angry glare.  
"You're into parcours, Adrien?" Ivan asked bewildered. "Your rigid excuse of a dad has no clue, has he?"  
"Well, practice makes purrrfect", Adrien quipped which earned him a joint groan and a nudge from Marinette. "And it's not like I'm jumping down the stairs right in front of him."  
"Really? I always thought that you were a lame fencing guy."  
"Fencing and basketball and parcours and flying and martial art and bo-jutsu", Adrien muttered under his breath as Ivan continued to climb the stairs inside of the classroom.  
Marinette offered him another croissant to lighten up his mood. "Thank you for taking them to patrol last night. I think I'm fully recharged. But Adrien", she whispered, "my parents wonder why you never stay for breakfast. You should stop slipping away once a while."  
"O-o-kay," he stammered, face flushed.  
They continued their breakfast treat in silence, Nino and Alya accepting their loss obediently.

Shortly afterwards her teacher entered the classroom and started with the attendance call.  
Without further notice Marinette and Adrien prepared their presentation, connecting his convertible with the beamer. After turning in their reports concerning the kitten therapy Marinette's school had been so enthralled that they had to hold a lecture in front of their classmates, too.  
For once Marinette didn't felt bothered by this extra task. It felt more like summing up the last weeks, she was about to draw a conclusion before she could face the next level.  
Adrien gave her a thumb up and their teacher sat down on an empty chair.  
„Today we're going to tell you something about stress", Marinette started. "How stress emerges, tell-tale signs ..."  
"... and ways to reduce it," Adrien continued. "Mostly common possibilities to cope with stressful situations. For example how cats reduces their owner's stress just as we experienced in our recreational hour last Friday."  
As Adrien told their introduction Marinette's smile faltered for a second. Her boyfriend had assured her several times that he would go official the second she decided to. But it was her choice to unveil their relationship since she would be dragged into the public eye as Marinette, too.  
The last years she enjoyed being under the radar in her civilian life but she was fed up to play pretend to be only Adrien's class mate.  
So unbelievable fed up.

* * *

She was almost there ... almost ... twenty meters, nineteen ...  
"Hey, Marinette!"  
A manicured hand landed on her shoulder and she was turned to face Chloé. A bunch of other girls followed the mayor's daughter most of them were part of their class.  
Marinette suppressed a sigh. She didn't want to get caught, but running had been no option.  
"What has happened to Alya and Nino?" The girls asked. "Are they a thing now?"  
Down the hall Adrien leaned against a window sill, thanks to a heavy down pour the students were allowed to stay inside. Nino was sitting at his feet, vigorously chatting with him, while Alya sprawled across Nino. From the distance it seemed like she was sleeping. Anyway, for the rest of the students it must look like some full-scale cuddling.  
"Not officially." Marinette answered honestly. Though it would not take much longer for her bestie to realize her feelings.  
The girls groaned. Some of them tried to hit on Nino, hoping to get access to exclusive parties thanks to his DJ'ing jobs. Some of them even tried to approach Adrien via Nino, but both guys always brushed off every girl charmingly.  
Marinette wished she would have made it to her friends without being stopped. Because she knew by heart the following questions and assumptions.  
"So did you really spent an hour in a kitten box with Adrien?"  
"Yes."  
"All alone?" Their voices went higher up.  
Marinette registered the lingering fingers of Chloé on her shoulder but didn't push her way.  
"Yes."  
"Really?" Giggling. Squealing. Almost fainting.  
Marinette nodded with a small smile.  
The girls laughed at her statement. "Did you finally make a move on him?"  
"We were being recorded", she tried to divert the topic. They sought the touch of each other constantly, they were long gone past 'making a move'.  
"So we will find your make-out session on YouTube soon?"  
Marinette bit down her first answer. This question was gross.  
"No. Nothing happened. We just relaxed and talked. Played with those adorable kittens." One little peck was not similar to making out, was it? Especially if she compared it to some messing around after a heavy akuma attack they barely managed.  
Apart from this: Those girls should kept their noses out of their relationship. Secret or not.  
„In your place I would have snatched away Adrien", one girl suggested dreamingly. "Kissed him senseless until he was addicted to my lips."  
The other one's giggled once again.  
„No way to run except into my arms."  
"I would bare all for Adrien, he just has to ask nicely. Even with being recorded."  
"Oh, hell, yes!"  
Oh hell, yes, gross!  
Marinette decided to stay silent. Half of the female Parisians at her age wanted to catch Adrien. Someday she would be used to those comments.  
"Admit that you're lying." Suddenly all of her attention snapped to Chloé who slowly released her shoulder.

"What?"  
„That you are lying", Chloé repeated. Lips tight, bows furrowed, she really seemed bothered for once. Or she learned to play it better. "My Adrikins would never spent his recreational hour with you."  
Marinette took a deep breath.  
"I mean you're worthless scum, not even considered pretty, why should he pay attention to you if he can have me?" Chloé flicked her blond hair over her shoulder. "It must be a lie, Adrikins probably offered to help you with your presentation because you would have utterly failed on your own."  
Marinette clenched her hands to fist and rammed her nails deep into her skin. She would not explode. She would not explode in front of everyone.  
"He has that kind of nice personality. He must have pitied you because of that rug you're wearing. What are you, a Chat Noir fangirl? Really? Losers stick together, don't they?"  
That was it.  
Marinette had enough. 3, 2, 1 - BOOM!  
No one disdained her kitty!  
"I absolutely knew that Adrien would never spent time with you on his own, you're just tagging along with that dumb DJ. Since we're always together we match way better than ..."  
Marinette's resolve snapped in a good way.  
"You always stick together?", she echoed her voice low and strained of anger. "Then answer me some simple questions. What is his favorite food? What is the color he really likes? Not the one he has to wear because someone decides to. Do you know his allergies? Do you know why he hates rain?" And why he likes to be scratched behind his imaginary cat ears, she added silently. Fortunately. "Have you any idea what he wishes to do after school? Really wants, not what is expected of him? Have you ever in all those years comforted him on that one particular day? Do you know where he goes when he's fed up with all those people who are pulling him like a marionette?"

Marinette crossed her arms in front of her chest in order to restrain herself. She was treading on thin ice, almost disclosing information no one should care it existed.  
But she was so deep down furious right now!  
"Do you?", Marinette hissed.  
The other girls stared her down, eyes wide, mouths hung open.  
Only Chloé started another attack. "You filthy little liar. Making up stories to belittle my perfect, flawless Adrikins."  
"Well, I can show you, all of you, an idiot-proof evidence." Marinette challenged. "Maybe you want to get your phones out? I'm sick of this stupid arguments, so take pictures, record, do whatever you want to have future reference. But leave _us_ alone after this."  
"Us?", asked one of the girls, "What do you mean by us?"  
Marinette placed two fingers against her lips and let out a high-pitched whistle.  
Adrien jerked, his head bolting up in anticipation. Usually Ladybug would use this sound to get Chat Noir's attention.  
Marinette spun on her heels, strands flying out of her messy bun, before she stomped down the hallway.  
"Did she really ..."  
"Yeah, I think she did."  
This is your moment, Marinette told herself. No one steals Ladybug her show.  
She closed her eyes, scaled down her flaring temper and exhaled a long breath before she faced Adrien. Her beloved alley-cat wouldn't suspect what was going to happen next. It was her choice. She decided to end their game and to start a brand-new one all the same.  
A sassy smile graced Marinette's features, her posture got more relaxed, her steps almost gliding. She had no runway experiences yet she could carry herself with pride and confidence.  
Baffled Adrien let his convertible slip through his fingers but Nino caught it in time.  
"Are they dating?" The girls were following her, whispers ringing through the quiet corridor.  
"Don't know. But have you seen that look? Adrien has never been so ..."  
"Hot?"  
"No", someone breathed. "Head over heels."

Don't listen, Marinette thought and walked ever so slowly.  
Sultry.  
Just the with the right way to sway her hips. Ladybug-swagger, a secret weapon a special someone couldn't resist.  
On top of that she wore the superhero themed hoodie she had sewn for Chat Noir ages ago. After Adrien's growth spurt he loved to see her wearing his former present, though.  
You have so lost, Chloé, Marinette rejoiced, closing in the distance. She might look a bit sloppy to the mayor's daughter, dusty red chucks and distressed black tights and such, but the hinted superhero theme was irresistible in Adrien's eyes. Nothing else mattered.  
"Minou." The word caressed Marinette's lips. Soft enough to be inaudible to everyone else except cat senses.  
On the window sill Adrien blushed scarlet. He nervously rubbed his neck, almost brushing off the black-framed glasses he wore during long working hours at his computers.  
The girls followed her, cautiously measuring the space between them so that they could watch Marinette and Adrien at the same time.  
Their gazes locked and everyone else faded into the background.  
This was right.  
This was them.  
Marinette and Adrien as well as Ladybug and Chat Noir.  
No more hiding their real selves, no more quashing manners that came naturally.  
They could be bold, dorky, love-struck, frivolous, serious, in tune, afraid, worried, pensive, happy and satisfied.  
But therefore they had to be themselves.

At last a rush of panic soared, making Marinette doubt her decision briefly. Were they ready for the next step? The questions, the gossip, the photos in magazines ... Was she acting up childishly because she wanted to claim him for herself? Heck, she was openly seducing Adrien to prove some ridiculous point!  
Marinette stumbled right in front of her secret boyfriend, her long forgotten klutziness returning. Her hands shot up, desperately seeking something to hold onto but Adrien reached out for her, steadying her one moment, drawing her in instinctively in the next.  
"I'm all ears, princess," he teased. "You've definitely got my attention thanks to this spectacular show."  
Tiptoeing Marinette brought herself to a higher level as Adrien lend down to her, pressing their lips together in a chaste kiss.  
With the most angriest shriek Chloé stormed down the hallway, the other girls apparently stayed. Through a wild buzz of excited voices Marinette heard the snapping sound of camera lenses.  
Adrien hands went down to the small of her back, firmly locking her in place as he deepened the kiss slowly. It tasted of promise and proposal. Plus, it tasted like coffee. She loved the flavor as much as Adrien's hands roaming over her hoodie. All together Marinette melted under his touch. Her fingers wove into his golden locks, eliciting a soft sigh of pleasure.  
As Marinette pulled away, breathing heavily, all of their spectators were long gone.  
"You should call Natalie", Nino joked. "Twitter is probably crashing down any minute now."  
Even Alya typed furiously on her phone. "Paris' most sought supermodel AdrienAgreste off the market. Hashtag Adrien in love, hashtag Adrinette, hashtag love wins. Photo looks awesome ... and online."  
"No!" Marinette exclaimed. "Stop inventing couple names! I hate it that every damn reporter asks me if 'LadyNoir' will be official one day!"  
"You never allowed me to use MariChat." Adrien whined playfully with a big goofy grin plastered across his face. "Don't listen to her, Alya, I liked 'LadyNoir' from the first day."  
Nino only chuckled at their antics. Marinette buried herself at Adrien's neck as he pulled her even closer.

* * *

A couple of minutes later a loud crash echoed through the school followed by screams.  
"Akuma", Marinette and Adrien said on cue. "Probably Chloé."  
"You two are disgusting." Nino shook his head and heaved himself in a standing position. "So, shall we go?"  
"No", Marinette replied, stretching a bit. "It's too early for you."  
Plagg and Tikki poked their heads out of their hide-outs, ready to share the magic with their chosen one's.  
„You stay here, you're not accustomed to your powers yet", Adrien emphasized. "I'm not rescuing an eager kitten that cannot jump properly."  
With a flash of pink and green they've vanished, taking a short cut they had yet to show the second generation of heroes.

Nino and Alya shared a look - as if they would stay behind now.  
Then Alya smirked confidently and waited that Nino took her hand. "Trixx, transform me!"  
"Wayzz," he let himself get carried away by her guts as a countless times before, "transform me!"  
Together they dashed off to defeat their first akuma.  
One of many to come.

THE END.  
For now. ;)

* * *

 _A/N: Hello guys! 21.000 views! We've hit 21,000 views with chapter ten! Unbelievable! :D Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading, sticking with me and reviewing! THANK YOU!  
I don't know when I'll continue this story since my vacation has ended on the 22th and I have to concentrate on my next publications first ...  
But rest assured, the moment I upload a continuation (as a new story) I'll post a note right here.  
_ _Again, thank you! And take care!  
Love, WhiteRaven_


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